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Friendly greetings serve as an opening to heart-to-heart exchange from which we can set out onto the great ocean of friendship.

The bamboo groves of autumn are beautiful. Each bamboo tree stands independently, growing straight and tall toward the sky. Yet in the ground, out of sight, their roots are interconnected. In the same way, true friendship is an enduring bond that connects self-reliant individuals.
Friendly greetings serve as an opening to heart-to-heart exchange from which we can set out onto the great ocean of friendship.
In order to overcome our prejudices, we must constantly strive to develop the habit of looking at ourselves from the point of view of others. Realizing that all people have both good points and bad, in the end the important thing is to strive to combat our own inner obstinacy and narrow-mindedness.
Friendship depends on you, not on the other person. What matters is what you put into a friendship, not what you get out of it.
To the extent that we contemplate ourselves and elevate our state of life, we can deepen our understanding of others. Someone who does so is capable of recognizing and treasuring people’s individuality. A person of wisdom tries to invigorate others and bring out the best in them.
Ultimately, the only way to make good friends is to become a good friend yourself. Good people gather around other good people.
Our human relationships are like a mirror. So if you’re thinking to yourself, “If only so-and-so were a little nicer to me, I could talk to them about anything,” then that person is probably thinking, “If only such-and-such would open up to me, I would be nicer to them.” Therefore, you should make the first move to open the channels of communication.

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