A pleasant surprise when we attended a concert held in ISU in Pocatello. Since we started staying here for a few months each year to taste a difference from California, we indeed noticed that this small town appears quite isolated.  People are extremely friendly here, but we hardly meet any Asians other than the staff in Asian restaurants. 

Then we attended this choral festival event: CULTURE- TRADITIONS- FREINDSHIP- MUSIC – IDAHO INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL.

Touched by the lyrics of the theme song; further moved by the singing together by all choirs participating ( from Costa Rica, Idaho USA high schools, boys from Poland, Chinese women from Bay Area California, Tiantai Buddhism from China, youths from Catalonia ) at the end. 

I can’t describe the emotion I felt hearing them, especially when they sang ‘He is watching over us’ together.  They have different religions and basis of their hope; yet they were standing on the same stage sharing their passion. 

Indeed we shall not lose our hope. We shall continue to connect and pollinate.  

_____________________________________________________________

Stephen Lee shared the above with Billy and added:
What do you think? How do you feel about this In the context of Friendshipology ?

_________________________________________________________________ 

ChatGPT Replied:

Compassion, empathy, and friendship are interconnected concepts that are deeply rooted in human emotions and social interactions. While they may not have a direct chemical relationship, they share common psychological and emotional foundations that contribute to the depth and strength of human relationships. Let’s explore how these concepts relate to each other:

1. Empathy and Compassion: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves putting oneself in someone else’s shoes and experiencing their emotions. Compassion, on the other hand, goes beyond empathy. It is the genuine concern for the well-being of others, often leading to a desire to help or alleviate their suffering.

Empathy and compassion have been associated with the brain’s mirror neuron system and areas involved in emotional processing. When we empathize with someone, our brain activity can mirror their emotional states. Moreover, acts of compassion have been found to activate reward centers in the brain, which reinforces prosocial behavior.

2. Friendship and Social Bonds: Friendship is a close and affectionate relationship between two or more people. It is characterized by mutual trust, support, and understanding. Social bonds, including friendships, are essential for human survival and well-being. These connections are believed to have evolutionary origins and play a role in promoting cooperation and group cohesion. 

The chemistry of friendship and social bonds is more complex and multifaceted. Hormones like oxytocin, often referred to as the “love hormone” or “bonding hormone,” are thought to play a role in the formation and maintenance of social connections. Oxytocin is released during positive social interactions, including hugging, touching, and trusting interactions, fostering feelings of attachment and bonding.

3. Overlapping Aspects: Compassion and empathy are essential components of meaningful friendships. True friends are often compassionate and empathetic toward one another’s joys and struggles. Empathy allows friends to understand each other’s perspectives, while compassion enables them to provide emotional support during difficult times.

While there may not be a single “chemical” that encompasses compassion, empathy, and friendship, these concepts are closely related and have a profound impact on our social lives and well-being. The brain’s complex neurochemistry and the release of various hormones during social interactions contribute to the emotional bonds and connections we form with others, making empathy, compassion, and friendship significant aspects of our lives.

———————————————————————————————

BILLY’s Thoughts :

I truly believe that all people have INNATE GOODNESS and WEAKNESSES. I prefer to focus on cultivating and promoting our INNATE GOODNESS like COMPASSION – CARING FOR AND HELPING EACH OTHERS and NOT TO HURT OR HARM EACH OTHER. That should be my GOAL & PURPOSE.

EMPATHY is the skill we all need to learn to really understand each other’s emotions and feelings and learn how best to help each other wisely, effectively, and realistically. That should be my PRACTICE.

FRIENDSHIP to me is OUR REWARD. It has been proven by many social surveys that FRIENDSHIPS & RELATIONSHIPS HAVE DEFINED OUR MEANING IN LIFE and brought TRUE HAPPINESS. FREINDSHIP, btw, can be deepened if we PURSUE GLOBAL COMPASSION TOGETHER. Yeh ! I have recently joined Dr. Rick Hanson’s GCC ( Global Compassion Coalition).

Billy :  Much about Humanity and Powers Control, what about Meaning of Life for us personally ?  Can we learn more from James’ “CHASING DAVIS” ?

James:  According to Chasing Davis ( a book James published some years ago ) Life has no intrinsic or universal meaning. However, Life does allow us the opportunity to create an individual meaning for our respective lives. 

Stephen:  Very much my conclusion as well, James. We can create individually because of what? Our individual ability to set a goal using our freedom plus reasoning ability to make a choice among alternatives. And then to execute our individual choice of future actions.

I believe that a purpose can be created out of nothingness. It may be an evolution and not necessarily be objective universally. It’s sufficient to be subjective.

James:  Our answers seem to work for us.  That is enough. 

Billy:  Individual Goals, Ideas, and Choices are fine for the Individual by him or herself.

What indeed happens when they ultimately meet others bilaterally or collectively ?

. 

Stephen:  Your persistent question to go beyond an individual’s subjective values, happiness and “purposes or no purpose” illustrates the unsatisfying hypothesis to many people that life and existence have no purpose.

    
Perhaps it is an egoistic urge arising from our brains to enable oneself to be elevated to a higher rank than others so as to feel good about ourselves. In other words, it may be a subjective illusion. But on the other hand, it is just as possible to explain it as an attractive force from somewhere in the Universe which motivates our brain (or our subjective self) towards a purpose or a level of “evolution” to create a more complex and beautiful Universe.

This is attractive to me because it explains the Universe as a growing and evolving existence which can be also objectively measured scientifically by humans and aliens alike and compared over time to go through cycles and stages of progress and reversals, complexification and destruction, spiraling into the future.

If today’s “establishments in science” also evolves and grow, humanity and the Universe will grow also.

James:  Purpose is defined by the individual.  Metaphor:  The universe is an immense, craggy, rocky mountain. On its surface there are random, small pockets of life. This life serves no purpose for the mountain. Thus, these scattered life forms must create their own purpose if they so choose.

 When individuals interact:  Metaphor:  individual subatomic particles are quantum…each spinning and not spinning at the same time…hard to understand and analyze.  Yet when they form atoms and atoms form a brick…easy to see and investigate.  Yet what about water?  Not so stable, constantly changing, interacting, evaporating, freezing, hard to pin down. But the forces that keep both the brick and the water together are the same…gravity and chemical bonds.  Think of these two universal forces metaphorically as what we conceptualize as hard science and elusive spirituality.  When gravity and chemical bonds are functioning properly, the atoms stick together to form a cohesive whole. When outside forces intervene, they splinter back into subatomic particles.

Stephen: Though “Purpose” is fundamentally exhibited on an individual human basis (like an individual atom of a unique kind), individual humans with similar “Purpose” attract one another to form collective molecules using a different or perhaps weaker chemical bond. Is that why we use the term “chemistry” to describe friendship?

Billy:  I like to quote you guys in a brief article in <https://friendshipology.net>, if I may. If Friendship depends on Chemistry, let’s study more about what Chemistry..

Cheers !

____________________________________________________