第 6 页

Part 6 people like people like themselves

My neighbor down the road loves to fish. So do his two sons, who, by the way, look like their dad and walk like him. What a bond! I don't fish, and neither do any of my five children, but we share the same sense of humor. What a relief! My aunt in Scotland is amedical doctor, and so is her daughter. They think alike.

Another coincidence? The plumber in our village comesfrom three generations of plumbers. The woman who soldme a big ripe Gouda cheese at the Wednesday market inLeiden, just outside Amsterdam, had her mother and herdaughter working for her. All dressed the same.

What's going on here? Is there some kind of patternemerging? How come they are so much alike? They haveall grown up with harmonious behavior on many levels,physical and mental. They have synchrony.

Since he was only three years old, my neighbor'syoungest son has handled a fishing rod with great65respect, just like his dad. He sits a certain way, just likehis dad, and when he's threading the hook, he glances athis father from moment to moment to see if he's doing itcorrectly: a certain, almost imperceptible expression sayscontinue, another says be careful and yet another saysno, you've got it wrong. The boy uses his own instincts tolearn from his father, along with very subtle guidancefrom his father's expressions and body language and attimes his gentle, encouraging voice. Now he can do it, justlike his dad.