It’s hard to find things to talk about with some of the people you meet these days: some get too caught up in their convictions and often forget what’s important. But I’ve started to notice that real friends are willing to put aside whatever convictions they might have because they know that friendship is more important than any current events or issues: they respect their friend’s right to believe whatever they want because they value all that the friendship has been and can be. Life is full of spirited debates: when that happens, remember that unlike loyalty to a conviction, loyalty to a friend is a virtue, perhaps the only remaining virtue in this mixed-up world. Cherish your real friends and don’t let the ever-changing issues of the day get between you. Life is too short and real friendships too important to let something like that happen today.
Milan Kundera (b. 1929): Czech-born writer who went into exile in France in 1975, and became a naturalized French citizen in 1981
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