During the discussion of Emerson's essay on Friendship, someone made a statement that Emerson was naive to believe that love was all that was needed to make and keep a friendship or a relationship in general. I disagree, for I feel that while Emerson was optimistic, he was far from naive. He often reiterates the point that people have to be more realistic, open minded, and compromising when it comes to friendships because flights of fancy don"t often hold up to the harshness of reality, "Our friendships hurry to short and poor conclusions, because we have made them a texture of wine and dreams, instead of the tough fiber of the human heart. All association must be a compromise.". However, he does say that people should not underestimate the awesome power of love, and that love can conquer all. .
I can site an example from my own life. One of my close friends is both black and white. Her parents fell in love and have stayed together even in the face of prejudice, racism, and social strictures. The intermingling of all different kinds of races can be seen today because people like my friend's parents who took a chance and trusted in love to see them through the hard times. Love can not fix everything, for society still frowns on interracial couples and there is still racism and prejudice, but if people never try and never put their faith and trust in love nothing would ever change, and society would still be a strict caste system.
Emerson calls for open mindedness and love tempered with a good dose of common sense and realism. This is something that I can wholeheartedly support.