How to be happy though human / by W. Béran Wolfe.
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seizes upon your good nature as an opportunity of venting his little neurosis on your all too willing ears. When your partner becomes too neurotically voluble, discretion and retreat are the better part of valour. But one friend made is worth a dozen neurotics who bore you with their egoism. Even these neurotics can be used as parables in the understanding of human nature, and of what not to do if you would be happy in the friendship of your fellows. There are always certain men and women who indulge in the sport of soul catching. They are usually pampered neurotics who put their best foot forward in order to catch you in the net of their affability, with the ulterior, unconscious purpose of exploiting your friendship later. Everyone knows people who know a host of acquaintances, but have no single friend. Soul catching is their profession, a profession in which they develop a considerable virtuosity. Soul catching is another of the side-shows of the social life, characterized, like begging, confidence games, charity rackets, and the like, by a misuse of the social feeling of the victim. It is impossible completely to avoid entanglements in the nets of an occasional soul catcher, but if you wish to rid yourself of the company of such a neurotic it is only necessary to ask him to do you a favour. The soul catcher retreats from the social responsibilities of friendship with incredible celerity. As a matter of fact, two willing ears are among the most valuable of all social assets. Learn to listen intelligently and to identify yourself with the speaker while you listen. Many a man who has no special gifts or talents has gone through life with a host of friends, happy in the security of the good will of every neighbour, because he has been willing to listen to the recital of the exploits of a neighbour’s baby son or pet terrier. Because most people are lonely and have no one to talk to, they are for ever seeking a willing listener; and a sympathetic listener is a rare find. I once asked a patient how he explained the sudden