Fencing about and around

"Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up."

Came across this quote somewhere and was struck by its perspicacity.

Realised that he ought to respect others' need for distance, for disengagement.

Many times, he had naively sought to be friends with people, stupidly unaware of the emotional turbulence beneath the facades.

Each time, the experience was breathtakingly disorientating.

Too many times, far too complex to talk about, he felt as he struggled to put words to history.

Yes, he should learn to respect the barriers between people and stop trying to be friends with everyone.

Sometimes, fences are there for good reasons.