QUOTES: Unlikely Friendship (23 February 2007...

. Hi Everyone,

Sorry for not posting lately... between the flu striking me down and a busy life, I haven't had much time for the blog lately. However, I came across this quote recently and really enjoyed it... it sounds like it came from some kind of "self-improvement book" or "guide to relationships," but it came from an entirely different sort of book. See if you can figure out where it came from.

"Most of us have very few friends; we can count them on the fingers of one hand. We are surrounded by acquaintances, but intimate friends are few. A friendship that survives the years originates more than two people's quest for togetherness. It depends above all on their adjustment and acquiescence to each other's traits. Accepting friends is something like a 'package deal.' Some of their attributes are just what you want to see in someone, those very traits that make you want to be close to someone. Others you find downright unpleasant. With these, too, you must make your peace. You can't set out to change them. This is the only way to develop genuine companionship - a relationship put to the test in a moment of pain, of need for help, of yearning for an attentive ear or a shoulder to lean on."

"A Warrior's Way - Israel's Most Decorated Tank Commander Relives His Greatest Battles"
Pgs. 199-200. 1994 SPI paperback edition.
By: Brigadier General (ret.) Avigdor Kahalani.

It's hard to imagine that, in that quote, Kahalani is writing about the camaraderie between men-at-arms AKA soldiers. The quote could just as easily apply to male-female relationships or just about any other type of relationship.

I've long been a fan of Avigdor Kahalani; he has genuine qualities that are really hard to fake. He also has a "rags-to-riches" background and is of Yemenite descent, some of the many Jews who had long resided in the Arab world until Arab nationalism came to a heady brew in the beginning of the twentieth century. I've long followed his career and you can learn more about it here:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/kahalani.html

Just recently, I watched some specials about the 1973 Yom Kippur War on The Military Channel with an interview with Kahalani. Despite markedly non-native English, the man is a powerful speaker and it's easy to see how he motivated the men under his many commands.

If you have any interest in the history of the Middle East, I highly recommend reading any of his novels. I've enjoyed every single one of Kahalani's books that I've read. I will comment that SPI paperbacks do tend to have a large number of typos though.

Have a great weekend!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

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