
Sociologists claim that humans as social beings need friends. People need someone to talk to and to associate with. Life without friends is like sailing on a deserted ship. No one wants to live alone. The history of friends and friendship can be traced way back to the first man and woman. In today’s world of globalization where competition to make better living is rife, there is little time to really meet people and have real friend. Everyone is rushing somewhere, everyone seems to be busy and almost everyone does not have time to get to know a person. One may have plenty of casual acquaintances but true friends are difficult to find.
The essence of true friendship is the will to share. While we cannot live in isolation, we cannot have everything for ourselves too. Nature has given us an abundance of resources must be shared. True friends must have the will share certain things if not everything. The practice of giving and sharing must be sincere. There is no remorse or regret. True friends expect nothing in return. True friendship is being there when you are needed most, then must be based on a mutual commitment to support each other and being able to deliver when help is needed.
True friendship is giving moral support and other forms of spiritual support. Moral support can often boost confidence while the spiritual touch can take one a long way when dealing with sorrow, depression and illnesses. Pure friendship is often based on the pillars of spiritualism. The principle of ‘belief in God’ often makes friendships last for longer periods of time. Some friends only want to take advantage of others. Friendship is sometimes used to benefit one party. When this happens, there is bound to be anger, frustration and misery. No one can give all the time. There is a time when the limits to a friendship are tested and if the elements of giving and taking are absent at the particular time, that ‘ship’ will not float for long.
Most of all, friends must be genuine and any pretentious acts must be done away with. True friends communicate with each other truly and frequently. While there may be need to get together often, friends must also be given some form of privacy so as not to suffocate them and hinder them from living their own lives.