soros comments

I think the comments by FRIEDgaijin above are accurate enough.

I tried to recall what bonded me with guys in the past when I lived in the West. Common interests? A love of beer? Whatever. But I never had the feeling we were close to the point where either anyone would lend anyone else a lot of money or listen to problems one of us was having. In fact, as soon as anyone had personal problems, like divorce, a wall seemed to go up between us. It was then that I started to question my so-called friendships.

Friendships for men are relationships of convenience or mutual assistance in getting ahead, but they aren't what men really need and wish for. I think men want brothers, but not with the sibling rivalry attached. Blood brothers. Men you can count on, not those who dump you the moment you are out of sight.

Men today dont have friends; they have rivals. Even if you do have friends, you cant count on them forever. They leave; they move; they marry your girlfriend.

Modern men have acquaintances. If they're firemen or policemen, they have partners or buddies, but not friends in the sense of a person close to you. And, this is not just true of Japan but characteristic of modern life. Many men recall the days of WWII fondly because soldiers did bond closely. My father did. In civil life, he was alone to the day he died, as I will be...