I see you seeing me and I exist. I see you seeing me see you and we exist. Mutual re-cognition is the glue that holds us together, not merely as friends, but as individual selves.

Good-byes are poignant preludes to the leave-takings and withdrawals that deprive our psyches of the sustenance they need to maintain our selfhood. As such, every good-bye is a premonition of disintegration, a foretaste of death, another step on the path to "adieu."

Have you noticed that old folks tell the same stories over and over? They are desperately trying to shore up identities that, because of a paucity of recognition, are breaking down. By telling us their stories, they are staving off the disintegration of self, one day at a time. You can't really blame them--their struggle is at once heroic and tragic.One day, you too may need a comprehending ear to offset the recognition deficiencies that plague old-age... <<

I hate saying good bye to my granddaughter on the phone and she feels the same.

Brilliant. Bittersweetness is long overdue for serious study. Too many talk without *defining* / so thank you !

/iasesq/

10x Aribeth 4 an interesting clip. you may like this one too ..