A good interlocutor should have the twin virtues of:
- Acceptance: not challenging you in ways you don’t need or want
- Surprise: challenging you in ways you need or want
That is: they should accept you as you are and not add friction to your life…. unless you want them to. AND they should surprise you with insight and ideas that you might not realized you wanted.
I’ve talked about friends before. But I want to add some descriptions here.
A good friend is a good interlocutor who:
- You make time for each other
- You trust each other
- You enjoy each other
- You respect each other
- You want what’s best for each other
Hm. I didn’t get into radical acceptance, meeting friends where they are, or being mindful with friendships in this post. Those will have to be future posts.
