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Jimmy Strobl

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What is friendship?

Where do you draw the line, is there even a line?

Topics: friendship
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    Jimmy Strobl 30+

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    TED Translator
    Jul 16 2011: Some questions to try to get the conversation going...

    Could you be friends with someone who you know beat their children?

    Could you be friends with someone who is of the opposite political view (especially in voting times)?

    Could you be friends with someone who doesn't consider you a friend of theirs?

    Could you be friends with a non-sentient being? (Question from Tim Blackburn)

  • J Ali

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    Jul 13 2011: Friendship is one soul, many bodies......

  • Pradeep kumar

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    Jul 12 2011: TRUST n HELP is frienship..
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    Joe Delsen 20+

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    Jun 30 2011: Hey Jimmy, my friend, friendship might as well be the fluid that will keep the gears of our conversations running smoothly even though our beliefs seems to be miles apart. How can we make it more concrete here at TED?
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    Salim Solaiman 50+

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    Jun 30 2011: A feeling of togetherness despite of having all differences (that's natural).
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    Tim blackburn 30+

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    Jun 28 2011: i think that its something that could be determined or established in many ways, but they would all start out with a connection. could you have a friendship, with say a garden? i would say yes. and if there is a line, i have not seen it yet.
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      Simon Tovey

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      Jun 28 2011: I'd never considered friendship with non sentient objects. Would friendship not require some informed reciprocation?

      Just goes to show there's unlikely to be concensus on such an topic. :)
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        Tim blackburn 30+

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        Jun 28 2011: gardens provide food?
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          Simon Tovey

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          Jun 28 2011: I anticipated that response. Thats why I included the word 'informed' :)
          Sure, we have a symbiosis/mutual benifit relationship with a lot of things but I think friendship would need both parties to be conscious of it in some way.

          This is one of those questions to which there is no right answer though.
          Still very interesting to discuss.
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        Tim blackburn 30+

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        Jun 28 2011: oh ya all very true, its prefrence more than anything. myabe your garden is conscious of it. communication cannot only rely on the verbal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaru_Emoto- i claim this not as fact, mearly possibly relevant to the conversation
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    Simon Tovey

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    Jun 28 2011: Good question.
    I suspect that a rigid definition of friendship will be slippery and hard to grab. I doubt most people would agree with themselves in all cases let alone each other :)
    I certainly cant think of a definition that covers all of my relationships.

    "it possible to be friends with someone who's views differ greatly from yours?"
    I do think its possible to be friends with people who's views differ greatly from yours. I do my best to keep these kinds of friends. I think surrounding yourself with people who think in the same way and just re-enforce a feeling of how great and right you are isn't a good path to greater knowledge. Much better to be kept on your toes by differing opinions.

    "Is a Facebook "friend" more of a friend then the ones you feel connected with here on TED?"
    I'm pretty new to TED so right now yes my facebook friends are closer but in the future perhaps not.
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