Friends forever?!
The “Webster New World Dictionary” gives us two explanations about friendship: first, the “state of being friends” and second, “friendly feeling attitude”. Hey, for me these explanations are very superficial. Friendship means a relation between living things or so-called creatures. This can be even the deep closeness between my (meanwhile) nine dogs and me. They always try to protect me go or wait for me, if I am out of town. (Hi John, great article!).
A human friend should be a person whom we know very well and who is fond of an ally, supporter, or adviser. A friend could be an intimate associate or somebody attached to another by esteem and affection. Good oder very good friends one could become after years or even short period because of an unforeseen and dramatic situation, where “one side” needs urgent help and the “other side” is ready to help. (Thank you Bob and Feyma!).
Real friendship is mostly seldom, but can be served everywhere on this earth. It also took time to find real friends here in the Philippines. I am happy, proud and honored to get some.
Real friendships doesn’t know a special place or season and it is really an accidental fortune.Nevertheless, remember, friendship is a plant, which should be well cared for very much, because it is very easy to shrink and die on lack of readiness to do something for it. If you find out that your “friends” think first at themselves forget them! Remember what the French writer Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794) wrote in his “Caracteres et anecdotes”: Somebody said of a very egotist - he would burn your house down to cook himself a couple of eggs”.
I wish us friends with eyes, which discern the lights and signals in our daily darkness. I wish us friends with ears,which understand the shouts for help in our mental anesthetic. I wish us friends,who know how to speak the language of honesty, that guide us away from our painful speechlessness and muteness.
Friends forever, which should be a sense of community, stamped life-long! Wherever you life….
Hi Klaus,
Good topic. Friendship is always an interesting thing to ponder. I have a rich tapestry of friends of various ages, occupations, races, religious/spiritual beliefs, economic conditions, etc. Each brings his/her own unique gifts into my life as I do in theirs (my hope, anyway).
Cultivating friendships has been an enriching facet of living, in addition to all the other things that accompany life. However I do maintain several layers of friendship. They form concentric circles around my life, with the closest friends/confidantes in the innermost circle. Not that I “assign” friends into specific layers, they just happen to find their own way into whatever “ring” they find is most comfortable for them.
In my mind, I envision an amazing labyrinth which eventually leads to an inner sanctum, which is the most sacred place of friendship for me. I know I speak metaphorically now but it is so true (for me).
Over the years I’ve discovered that the best way to have good friends is to always be one, first, including being best friends with ourselves. Nurture us, treat us kindly, be our own best friend, dedicate special moments to us when we can feed our inner growth. Then we will radiate a mesmerizing “wholeness” that will inevitably draw friends to us — and the kind that we will want to keep for a long, long time.
Have a good day, everyone.
Signing off from the not-so-sunny today but still glorious San Francisco Bay area at 7:20 a.m. Pacific time, Tues, 09.25.2007
Hi Angie, thank you so much for your thoughts, even metaphorically sometimes. Philosophy also belongs to my daily life since long time. In one thing, you are very true, if we are not our own best friend, we really get difficulties to build up long-lasting friendships. Greetings to San Francisco, a great place. I stayed there, when I visited my in-laws in L.A. and San Diego.