How do you tell fake passion from the real thing?
Reminds me of a joke. Fake Christmas decorations - they look exactly like the real thing, just don't make the kids happy.
Knowing if something is "real" is tricky. We learned to consider some things as real and some as fake. I think it is mostly a cultural thing.
For example if an American, Canadian or European meets a distant acquaintance in the street, the usual reaction to say "Hi!" and to smile. As far as I remember they would do it every time they meet each other, even if it is several times a day.
Do you consider this smile as "real"? I'm asking because any Russian thinks that this smile is as fake as it gets. Untrained Russians smile only if they can't help but smile spontaneously - when meeting a lover on a first date, when meeting a good friend they haven't met for years and are really happy to see, or when they are about to start conversation with a joke.
In response Western people usually think that the Russians they are talking to are sad and hostile.
When I lived in Britain, it took me about a year and a half to change my habits in this area. Until then, people were calling me "this weird guy". After I changed, I started making new friends every day.
So I can understand if someone thinks that passion has to be spontaneous, but this may not be the same for everyone.
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