The essence of the story was that in Japanese society people don't make new friends very easily And the reason is that making a friend is a comittment to spend time with and do things with the new friend. In their culture - at least when I read this - friendships were viewed seriously.
The subject arose when I overheard a conversation between two of my grandchildren. One was boasting to the other that she'd gotten a bunch of new friends on Facebook And the way she talked about it it was some kind of an accomplishment.
Then I had a discussion with them about this custom. They thought it was strange that a person wouldn’t try to have all the friends they possibly could. In their circle it was a status symbol. I could tell she thought I was lost in the wrong century because I wasn’t a Facebook member.
I cut the talk because I didn’t want to alienate my loved ones over something I didn’t understand. Whatever happens life will provide the right answers. We simply must wait awhile. I'm lucky to even be a blogger.
