120 philosophical essays you must read in your life

Chapter 83

Chapter 5 Section 4 Self-decomposition

[French] Montaigne
Each gives himself so completely to his friend that he has nothing more to give to another.He complained that he was not double, triple, or quadruple, that he could not have a few souls and a few wills to fully dedicate to his few friends.Ordinary friendship, we can distinguish it: we can be friends with this person because of his manners; with another because of his knowledge; with a third because of his generosity; with a fourth For a friend, for his brotherly affection; for a fifth person, for his fatherly love, and so on.If two friends wanted your help at the same time, which one would you run to?What would you do if they asked you to do the exact opposite?If one entrusts your silence with a matter that would be of great use to the other, how will you deal with it?

The supreme friendship overrides all other obligations.A secret that I swore not to tell anyone else, I can pass it on without breaking my vow to someone who is not "other" because he is myself.Those who divide themselves into two are already strange, those who can divide themselves into three simply don't know how great they are.Everything extreme is unmatched.He who imagines that he can love two persons alike, and that these persons can love each other and him as he loves them, transforms the one and most one thing into innumerable individuals.

【Together with you】

The truly great friendship in the world can make people forget themselves.For that selfless friendship, we will not care too much about personal gains and losses, but do our best to dedicate everything to our friends.

In this process, our gains are by no means single, but directly proportional to our efforts.There is only one fruit on the tree of friendship, which is called trust.Red apples are reserved only for those who water the fruit trees.If other people pick it off and taste it, it is likely that their teeth will be sour.

(End of this chapter)