A world without strangers

I've been "keeping in touch".

With people I haven't been keeping in touch for a long time.

I'm not sure why this sudden urge to catch up.

Maybe it's the Xmas season.

Maybe it's just me being tired of all the crap and games and pseudo-friendships that have recently developed, and I'm missing the old friends.

Maybe it's because I'm growing old and sentimental and nostalgic.

So I've been keeping in touch, via sms-es, over the phone, even face to face.

But smses are just so inadequate a communications tool.
And so is talking over the phone.
Even face-to-face meetings aren't that satisfactory, especially if no one is willing to let his/her guard and to remove the mask of affability and civility

And so I wrote an email, to one who was more stranger than friend. Which is a strange thing really.

But I guess it's precisely because he's more stranger than friend, and therefore, precisely because I have no hidden agenda and no vested interest in his life and his friendship, that he let down his guard and wasn't wary about what he said to me.

Because he knew I'm just trying to do what I can to well, relate to another human being at a level at which they need some catharsis.

Because he knew, that althought we were not friends per say, but there's still a smidgeon of concern on my part about him and his welfare.

And what he told me about himself made me just so incredibly sad. At the same time, I'm touched that he was willing to trust me with something close, something rare, something dear to himself.

This world has sprung another surprise on me, that strangers can be even better friends than the real deal.

That even in this world of politics and selfish ambition, there's still a little bit of that which is good and pure and honest and lovely and true.

Even between strangers.