Friendship
Friendship is a noble sentiment. It is founded on purity of feeling, love, sympathy and consideration. Friendship arouses emotions and some of the sensitive people in the world have paid homage to it. Real friendship is very rare. Friendship is a tender plant which needs protection.
“Love is a sheltering tree;
O! the joys that come down shower-like of Friendship.
Friendship is, indeed, like a shady tree under which you can rest and protect yourself from ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’.
It is a blessing which descends upon man like manna dew. Some of the finest words about friendship “Honest men esteem and value nothing so much in this world as a real friend.
Such a one is as it were another self, to whom we impart our most secret thoughts, who partakes of our joy, and comforts us in our affliction.
Friendship is an everlasting pleasure to us
Friendship, as personified by a true friend, is a gem of many sides. It carries with it the idea of mutual trust and love. Also, it is the interchange of kindnesses. Close associations based on such pure principles are not easy to form. Every second man you come across cannot be a true friend. Most of the people we know can at best be described as acquaintances, and with some of them we have only a nodding acquaintance.
The character of friendship depends on the number of friends we have. Some have many friends and others only a few. The latter are better placed because they can give better individual attention to their companions.
Friends are often made in the early years of one’s life. Some of the finest friendships have been struck in school. This type of friendship remains long lasting and constant till old age. When old friends meet, they derive a spiritual joy from each other’s company.
Also, it does not take long for them to go down memory lane. friends are a treasure, an index of our mind and character.
words of J. R. Lowell
“Each year to ancient friendships adds a ring, As to an Oak.”
It is perhaps easy to make a friend but it is not easy to maintain a true lasting friendship. This aspect is not sufficiently recognized and we often take friends for granted. Certain factors need to be fulfilled if friendship is to flow along a smooth course.
Friendship is a give and take package
The first requirement is that of mutual trust and love. In certain cases we even have to sacrifice some of our cherished principles. It is a give and take affair-a package deal.
In real friendship you cannot accept a friend for his good points and reject him for his bad ones. This requires skillful handling. It is a sensitive affair and very often you have to explain to convince him. You have to accommodate him at all costs. Also, see to it that you don’t hurt blush feelings.
You always speak well of him and defend him if anyone says something against him. You have to accept your friend as Identity of interest. It is another salient feature of a durable friend-ship. Sharing of special enthusiasm, fondness for the same type of books. Similarity of ideas and private philosophy go a long way in the bonds of mutual affection.
A friend in need is a friend indeed
You must help him in time of need even without his asking for it. You must encourage him and appreciate his qualities. Admire him for his hard work, intelligence and ability. Admonish him for his faults.
Constancy and loyalty are qualities which lay a sound foundation of a lasting friendship. A faithful friend is a strong defense and a great treasure. Prosperity makes friends but adversity tries them.
A constant friend stands by you through thick and thin. He shares your joys and sorrows, bolsters your spirits in time of gloom and encourages you to face the challenges of the world with courage.
Like a tender plant
Friendship is like a tender plant which has to be protected from the heat of the sun, and the fury of the wind. It has to be watered, trimmed and looked after. In the same way friendship needs to be fostered, nurtured and cultivated. Lack of warmth, politeness and patience can cool a friendship and ultimately kill it.
If it founds on self-love and selfish interests, it is no more than a commercial alliance. The same is true of a friendship based on inequality. Wealth and poverty seldom go together. The former often exploits and shows contempt for the latter.
Goldsmith Said:
“He casts off his friends, as a huntsman his pack.
For he knows when he pleased, he could whistle them back.”
A capacity for continual adjustment is the key to a true and lasting friendship. While a good friend is, indeed, an asset, a bad companion is a recurring liability. So, it follows that one must exercise great care in the choice of friends.
A man is known by the company he keeps.
A good, true and noble friend is a great blessing. However, in the final analysis, selection of friends depends on persona! ideals.
“Oh, cakes and friends we should choose with care,
Not always the fanciest cake that’s there
Is the best to eat! And the plainest friend
Is sometimes the finest one in the end.”
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