I've just finished reading another book by Eric Hobsbawn, and I highly recommend any of his works.

Why Do We Yell A sage asked his disciples, “Why do people yell at each other when they are upset?” The disciples thought for a while, and one said, “We lose our calm and so we yell!” “But explain to me, why do you yell when the other person is right next to you?” asked the sage. “Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you yell at a person when you are angry?” The disciples gave some answers but none satisfied the sage. Finally, the sage explained. “When two people are angry at each other, there is a distance which arises between their hearts. To cover that distance they must yell, to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the louder they will have to yell to hear each other through that great distance.” Then the sage asked, “What happens when people are in love? They do not yell at each other but talk softly. Why? Their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small.” The sage continued, “What happens when their love for the other grows even more? They do not speak, they only whisper. Their hearts come even closer with love. Finally, they need not even whisper... they only look at each other and that is all. That is how close people are when they love each other. The heart is like one.”