“Driving in my car, glimpsing a woman making a turn at a traffic light, I know instantly that there is no possibility of chemistry between the two of us and I know this within milliseconds. She might be young and comely or ripening into middle age, it doesn’t matter. It is not about pretty or ugly, old or young, rich or poor, it is something else entirely, something closer in function to the human immune system which distinguishes familiar from foreign. This process extends to animals, to cities..., to whole countries, this so-called gut reaction. Despite my years of education, my good intentions and my noble aspirations, I remain imprisoned inside this system of appraisal and, sometimes, it is only with great effort of will that I can subdue this primitive response when attempting to do business or break bread with a perfectly reasonable human being to whom my initial reaction had been one of rejection. With Harlan Hawthorne my first impression had been confused. He was so different from anyone I had known, I felt lost and without reference points, yet I liked him and knew that I wanted him to like me and that ambition made me very uncomfortable with myself.MoreLessRead More Read Less
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