it's getting more ok to have friends of either sex, as excessive formality slowly gives way to more tolerant and relaxed attitudes to life, and a more balanced personality, playful with the differences, and comfortable both sides of the fence.

one is a lot less circumscribed than before, we are learning to trust that it's ok to be different, there's a place for that in the scene of things, in fact that's what gives life its mystery.

in some ways, the more obvious one's cultural roots are, the more likely one is to be somewhat narrow in perspective, even if one can be deeply grounded and strengthened by the healthy roots that implies.

of course some traditions give false strength, such as the myth that our tribe is of necessity superior to another.

reality gets its way and dismembers illusions eventually, though the road there can be long and arduous. likewise with our losing our apprehensions about communication across the Great Divide of gender, we all had a parent or sibling of the other persuasion, so it shouldn't be so strange, after all...

except it is!

it really helps to get that we can't be complete until we suss our complementary opposite, and meet in the middle. that's the alchemy, where the dross, the pettiness burns off and the gold of who we really are can shine.

~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~