friendships without tomorrows (America, atheist, believe, perspective)

[ggggoat]

I've been thinking about the idea of friendships without tomorrows, with an emphasis on traveling and general socializing. When you meet someone and you both know the context is such that you will never see one another again. Some of my reflections: in these situations I actually at times reveal myself to an even deeper level than I would with my closest friends, as I know it will just be a stand alone moment time. They're also great for testing out new ideas or different thoughts, getting a fresh perspective, and on that, even in the general sense trying to hear someone else's ideas on topics that are pertinent to you.

A friend told me in reference to traveling, that 'friendships without tomorrows' and the little anguishes of departures are what make it so exciting. Overall, I personally find it frustrating and I feel if I connect strongly enough to another human, I'd like to maintain that connection, as such I often don't really put that much into it.

So what about you all? Just in general or perhaps specific points about it that are pleasant or unpleasant.

[MontanaGuy]

If I was forced to give a public speech (something which I would find terrifying) I would prefer that it would be delivered to a group of strangers as opposed to people who know me so I can relate to what you're saying. I've also done alot of travelling and have met people and have had some very interesting discussions with people who were total strangers but nevertheless we managed to express some very personal and thoughtful conversations. In fact when I stop and think about it I almost never meet anyone new where I live but when people are travelling it seems to have a different dynamic and people who happen to be sitting next to each other on an airplane or a train occasionally get into some very deep conversations. I remember a couple of years ago when I was flying from Guadalajara, Mexico to Phoenix that I happened to be seated next to a young American woman who was a graduate student in New Mexico. I had one of the most interesting conversations with her that I'd had with anyone in a long time. She was very intelligent and her work involved the environment with a scientific background but she also happened to believe in God. She was probably only in her late twenties but she expressed herself very well and I felt like I expressed myself as an atheist also quite well and I remember when we went our separate ways at the airport in Phoenix that I'm never going to see this young woman again but I was very impressed with her in many different ways and I found it to be an enriching experience.