Friendship is not dangerous

Words are never complete—because our lives never are. They leave traces through our thoughts, carving gentle marks into the mind. I like to share my questions, my reflections—questions born from what life stirs within me. And in return, through new words and stories, I find answers flowing from my heart, my daydreams, my experiences, and my flashes of love for people.

I move within a stream of light—bright and positive—a glow that gives us glimpses of our shared humanity and makes us hope for a peaceful world.

I hope my questions never become too complicated. In part, I have learned to think this way—to live this way—through what we call the critical school. That’s how I was taught in my school years: never take anything for granted; always think.

Socrates was my first true teacher. He showed me that questioning can be dangerous. Socrates lived in the fifth century BCE, yet his message remains profoundly relevant today. He was sentenced to death—forced to drink a cup of poison, to the very last drop. Before he died, he was allowed to speak one final time. His farewell became a beautiful, page-long speech in which he explained that his questioning had never aimed to corrupt the youth.

That was the charge against him: that teaching young people to think would destroy society. But Socrates never called for revolt—he taught reflection. And apparently, thinking itself can be dangerous to society.

I was sixteen when I first read Socrates. It was, of course, Plato who recorded his words in The Dialogues. Discovering those pearls of thought changed me for life. I call it friendship—for Socrates teaches us to ask questions of one another.

“It is like walking together,” he said, “walking through life side by side, looking each other in the eyes, searching together for happiness.” As Plato reminds us, people are seekers of fortune.

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But Socrates never urged the youth to revolt—he simply taught them to think. Apparently, thinking itself can be dangerous to society.

You are my friend forever. I will never let you go.
Through every season, in all kinds of weather, I stand by you.
If you need me, I’ll be there.
If you’re struggling, I’ll stay beside you.
If you’re in danger, I’ll protect you.

Friendship means seeking answers together — and never giving up the search.
It is a source of longing and joy, a companionship that opens paths ahead of us:
for the world, for the future, and even for the past.
It gives hope, lives quietly in every heart, heals wounds and sadness,
and can conjure a smile — and so much more.

Life belongs to those who seek love and hope —
to the beautiful, often lonely hearts that long for sparks of encouragement;
to the souls who, step by step, unravel the riddles of life,
moving closer to that point of light that makes us embrace existence
and share it endlessly with those around us.

Go, my friend — and may all your friends go with you.
Go, my friend — find your way through your life.
Enjoy your days. People are beautiful; they smile at you.
People are kind; they touch your heart.
Go, my friend — believe in your life.

— Thierry Limpens