"Familiarity breeds contempt!" wisely quipped Aesop in the seventh century B.C. And there's truth to Aesop's maxim. I grew up on a dairy farm, and although more than forty years have elapsed since I left the farm, I still have difficulty drinking a glass of milk. During those growing up years, milk was in abundance—too much of a good thing—and ultimately I found it contemptible!
The writer of Proverbs presents a thought provoking parable that picks up on this very theme. Proverbs 25:16-17 poignantly states: "If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit. Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—too much of you, and he will hate you" (NIV). The thought here is that overdoing ANYTHING can be a problem. Just as eating too much honey—or in my case, drinking too much milk can cause a problem! So visiting neighbors too frequently, overextending your stay, or making it a point of arriving at mealtime—these are examples that can cause neighbors to eventually despise you. (Wasn't it Benjamin Franklin who said that after three days, both fish and visitors stink?)
There's a Latin proverb which aptly states, "Respect is greater from a distance." My wife, Evy, and I both came from large families, and additionally, through the years we've gleaned many acquaintances and friends. But spending an overabundance of time with ANY of these folks could easily bring out the truth of the Proverbs 25 parable—in that there can be too much of a good thing. The fact is, the more intimately we know people, the more likely we are to find fault with them.
When William Shakespeare wrote, "I do desire (that) we may become better strangers," he may have had in mind what the Proverb writer said about "seldom setting foot in a neighbor's house." We should be making such experiences with neighbors, relatives, and friends "valuable" by their rarity. Moderation, balance, restraint, and reasonableness are the keys, so that our interpersonal relationships with each other may be of "value." The question becomes, Are YOU being despised by certain folks because of insisting on "too much of a good thing"?