Who said united we stand, divided we fall? What about Ben Franklin who said "we must hang together or assuredly we will all hang separately " — Agent Smith

Yes, leaders always want to unite us. Yes, loyalty is a good thing if society is good. But Hitler was a leader who united people, and all too few of his people stood against the tide. Sometimes falling is what is needful for a society gone rogue. Sheep are social, men sometimes need to discriminate, and may sometimes need to stand alone. In a sense, that is what makes a leader - one who does not just follow.

Noah took two of each animal on his Ark.

From Ben you can leap to Soren borrowing from William:

"Better well hung than ill wed." — Paine

:lol: Allah Rahim.

I do appreciate the point you make about Noah taking two of every animal onto the ark and the idea of a twosome or of partnership is important. Beyond sexual partnerships and reproductive, it may that each person needs some kind of significant 'other' in order to construct meaning in a way which is not soliptist.

Mary Shelley's novel 'The Last Man' presents a stark picture of what it would mean to be the only survivor, unable to find any others to communicate with. When I had read the book I wondered what it would mean to be so alone in the sense of not being aware of any other people existing. Would anything matter at all. If anything, at the present time, the masses make one insignificant because there are so many 'others', often making it hard to find one significant other in a sea of people everywhere.

Sometimes, the sea of mass society can lead to anonymity, endless comparisons with others, and many are left alone. I don't have a partner and most of my friends don't either because there are so many individuals who are lost in the multitudes, often with difficulties finding meaningful connections. Also, beyond relationships even friendships which are beyond shallow interaction, especially in the pace and competitiveness of the fast life of individualism.

I grew up as an only child and I did feel that was hard. It is also probably why I am better able to do things by myself as I was got used to it — Jack Cummins

Me too, but I did not feel it was hard. I learned to talk to myself, and made friends with that inner companion. I still do when I'm alone, and my inner friend supplies me with mathematical ideas. Also, I became a solo climber and relished being entirely alone high up on a piece of granite.

But living alone is another dimension, and I truly appreciate my companion, my wife.

The comparison between real lovers or friends is interesting. As an only child, I withdrew into fantasy and have often felt that the fantasy relationship were so much better. It is good to find a compatible wife or partner. I have not done so and my life as a background of being a being an only child and spend a lifetime of seeking an ideal partner, lover or soulmate. The ideals and the mundane experiences may be a vast difference and those who find the match and compromise may be the fortunate ones, while many are left stranded and isolated alone.

Well, yes, Noah's idea of companionship seems to be reproductively oriented, but I've heard men and women say "my wife/husband is the best friend I've had."

This may sound a bit puerile but in Marvel/DC superhero comics, teams and romantic relationships play a big part in the narratives e.g. poor Bruce Banner has Betty Ross and there's The Avengers and the Justice League, you get the idea. However, a big however, most of these relationships (friendship and love) eventually crack and sometimes turn into rivalry and even open animosity. What's the takeaway? Find companionship when you can, but don't be surprised if relationships hit the rocks, and you're back to being alone?

The nature of both friendship and romantic relationships are complex, especially in making them come together. Some manage to enable the two to work together. My parents did, and my mother married late after many previouz romances which did not work out because the friendships were not compatible. It does seem that many relationships break down for this reason. I have found making the two come together is extremely different, with romances being brief because there was not enough in common.

It can be hard to find a partner who is interested in philosophy and associated issues! It is easier to find friends who are. However, there is also the practical problems of living with another person. The only contexts in which I have shared a room with another have been difficult because I am poor sleeper, so I am likely to keep another awake through my restlessness. It can also be difficult to find a partner if one is a little eccentric or outside of the norm, but some who are still have the fortune of finding a fairly 'ideal' companion. It may not always be possible to find one's own Yoko Ono and even John Lennon had his first failed marriage.

Synchronization, I don't know why I thought of this. Have you heard the expression "their hearts beat as one"? I recall seeing two heart cells kept apart in a petri dish - their spontaneous rhythms were different, they were out of step. When they're brought into contact with each other, after some initial resistance as the two distinct rhythms face each other off, they begin to beat at the same rate. I've heard similar stories about periods of women in the same household.

There is even a song by U2, 'Two Hearts Beat As One', and the synchronisation in nature is a fairly familiar phenomena in nature. It might link in with Rupert Sheldrake's idea of morphic resonance. I know that I tend to find myself having similar sleep and wake patterns with other people I am sharing a house with.

The idea of telepathy is also related to synchronisation possibly. The question may be to what extent a person actually tunes into another person's thoughts or whether there are parallels as a natural phenomenon? If two people are thinking similar thoughts it may be what causes what? Of course, with my own Jungian leaning, it leads back to the idea of synchronicity and the collective unconscious. It may be best thought about as a natural sympathy or rhythms in nature, just as there are seasons, night and day and patterns. It is natural not supernatural and 'mind' itself has rhythm, pattern and resonances which may go beyond the individual.

A familiar phenomenon, si señor! I haven't personally experienced it though. :sad: