His claims that he was getting closer and closer to the truth were wearing on me more quickly that I had expected. When I compared his situation with the past, it did not seem to me that he had gotten any nearer to the supposed goal he was pursuing. In fact, compared with that very same period long ago, one could honestly say that he had actually distanced himself sufficiently in the completely opposite direction. Hard to believe but true. Blinded by these claims of getting closer and closer, he had unknowingly made an unintentional about-face and was headed in the wrong way. He had missed his objective by a mile, skirted off of it, and flung himself away without even realizing it. Like a truck driver rumbling all his tonnage over a poor passerby without even noticing the slight bump in the road which indicated quite subtly the crushed bones and flattened skull. I felt uncomfortable in this awkward situation, for it was up to me to set him straight or else. As a friend and close companion, my duty spoke to me and now was the time. What made it even more difficult was that by approaching him honestly with this uncalled for predicament, I was risking our longterm relationship in a way that made me hesitate yet another day. The days would pass and then I would feel more and more pressured to speak. But for now, a balanced and honest silence was the better path to take.