How to be happy though human / by W. Béran Wolfe.

Each man and woman we meet, therefore, offers us an opportunity for constructive social behaviour. Do not imagine that it bores the man who has just built a fine bridge, written a best-seller, or 'composed a great symphony, to hear your appreciation, even though your opinion is not expert. Do not imagine that success in the eyes of the world is in itself a complete satisfaction to the individual who has attained it. Even the most successful crave iteration and reiteration of social approval. Nor is the ordinary layman who has achieved no worldly success at all beyond encouragement. It may be the colour of his tie, the quality of his laughter, or the fact that he knows the batting averages that gives you an opportunity to praise, to understand, and to find happiness by encouraging a fellow human being. The beneficent results of this technique are twofold. It gives the prospective friend the necessary encourage¬ ment and the necessary sense of social appreciation which move him to be natural and expressive. Secondly it is likely to colour his attitude toward you and make him want to approve of you. Consequently, he will search your personality °for some facet worthy of approbation in order to make your approval of his conduct or ideas the more valuable. The Dynamics of Friendship After a series of such searches, a friendship will germinate under the warm sun of mutual admiration. Your friend wall feel a certain sense of noblesse oblige to inquire about your interests, and you, in turn, will have the opportunity to air your views and expand your ego. And, if you are a good human being, you will always see to it that the other fellow has the greater say. You will minimize your own interests and accomplishments, no matter how great they actually are, and emphasize the interest you have in the other fellow’s situation. This is the way of true friendship. We must, in all fairness, admit that you may occasion¬ ally be taken advantage of by an egoistic neurotic who