Value of friendship

About friends and friendship...

Image via Wikipedia


I thought I should review and share some things on the importance of friends and friendship itself, a quite sensible topic, which a lot see in various ways. 

To start width, here are some friendship quotes :

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."
- Anon

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.
- Albert Camus

"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."
- Anon

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."
- Anon

And here are some traits that you will encounter in a true friend :

Concern:

A matter that engages a person's attention, interest, or care, or that affects a person's welfare or happiness. Caring about people and vice versa comes with looking out for their well-being. When I, personally, think of this, I think of friends offering advice I might not necessarily want to hear. In they end, friends will try to do what they can to end up with a positive resolution to anything happening in their friends lives.

Compassion:

A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. This could be running to Wal-Mart and picking up meds for a viral plague of a friend, forcing them to change out of a hideous outfit before they're seen in the public eye, and other endless opportunities to bring out a silver lining from a cruddy situation.

Honesty:

Truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness. You may have heard that this is the best policy, even if the truth hurts. It will sometimes test your strength and bravery at some point, but this isn't something you can just brush off; you have to face it. Whether it's an opinion on a significant other, their professional work, or which phone they should upgrade to, tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell the truth. There are times where it might hurt, but it'll never be worse than being lied to.

Understanding:

A state of cooperative or mutually tolerant relations between people. The word "tolerant" in this definition made me laugh. In healthy relationships, the parties involved are able to be themselves from the most modest to the most looney of the crazies. I'm not sure how it is with your posse, but most of mine are very different from each other; this leaves room for teasing, laughing, and embracing the fact that we're all individually ourselves and not afraid to show it.

Support:

To sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction. We're all going to face new challenges, people, tastes... people are constantly evolving themselves as a person and we need secure relationships around us to keep going (whether or not we're conscious of this fact). I know for sure that if I didn't have support from friends and family when I changed my major a handful of semesters ago, I would probably have been hesitant and lacked the confidence that I do have. This is probably the most reciprocated of all the friendship ideals: watch their back and they'll watch yours. Encourage their endeavors and they'll watch yours. Motivate them and... well, you get the picture by now, I imagine.

Companionship :

One value of friendship which many find extremely important is the companionship aspect of it. Whether you are hanging out with your friends in between classes or going to the movies with them during the weekend, you will find that having friends is a really great thing. Friends are companions who will keep you occupied and individuals who you can have a great time with all the time.
Conversation : Even if you can't get together with your friends you can usually get a hold of them by phone, email or text messaging. Conversation, whether actual or virtual, is another value which people consider with regard to friendship. Everyone needs to talk and share their thoughts and feelings and friends are great in providing this for you. Good conversation usually equals a great friendship.

Helping Hand When Needed:

Friends also lend a helping hand when it is needed. Every once in a while you will find that you have a problem which your friends can often help you out with. Whether it deals with a fight with your parents or boy/girl issues, your friends are there for you. This is a valuable trait when it comes to friendship.


Laughter:


Those who have good friends will also find that laughter is a big part of the relationship. No one can make you laugh like your friends and laughter is so good for keeping your spirits up and making your day bright. You will find that the more good friends you have, the more laughter and happiness you will have in your life. Just keep in mind, though, that it is often quality of friends and not quantity of friends which make an individual happy overall.

Advice: 



Another valuable aspect of friendship is that friends often provide helpful advice for one another. When teens have a problem they usually turn to their friends or their parents. Sometimes they may find that their parents are unable to help out in a certain situation and this is when they truly need the advice of their peers. Having friends means that you will have someone to help you get through a situation that you need help with. This, too, is a great aspect of friendship. The advice may range anywhere from what clothes to wear to what you should do in a certain circumstance. No matter what the issue may be, having a friend to provide advice is quite valuable.


Although this are not necessary found in a friend, but you need to find at least a few of them in each an every one of your friends...


And you need to keep in mind that, friends are one of the most important ingredient in the recipe of life.