Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Friendship

This is seemingly a simple concept. But, like the word love it is abstract and has many possible definitions. Friends are important because they provide us with balance when we need it, insight when we must have it, support when we might give up, and belief in our value when even we may have lost it and it never ends. Friends are forever.

This definition is attributed to Aristotle: a friend is “a soul that resides in two bodies.” A friend is an individual that knows you and wouldn’t abandon you even if you tried to ditch them. They are sometimes parents, brothers, sisters, significant others and spouses. Because they know us so well, they find listening to be possible when otherwise we might have to pay a professional to listen to us. They know us so well that they cannot be fooled into thinking that we have given up on some of our goals. They know us so well that they can diagnose and nurse us back to the individual we had hoped to become.

We need friends. But, friends take time. They have to have the opportunity to learn all about us and that takes time. Once you have a friend you must maintain that friendship and that takes time. And if you are lucky enough to have a friend they merit your friendship. And that takes time. In short, for many of us, our lifestyle doesn’t allow for friends only acquaintances. As long as your company is productive for them acquaintances will stick around. As soon as you become a problem they’re gone.

Don’t confuse the two and make the time to build and maintain friendships. That’s the best life insurance you can have.