Friendship
Date: 14th May 2020 @ 10:47am
Some thoughts about friendship written by Joseph:
FRIENDS MATTER
What do you think is the most important thing in life? Do you think it’s money, a beautiful house, or a shiny new car? If you think it’s any of these things, you are wrong : surely, the thing that matters the most is friendship.
Friends matter!
Why do friends matter, I hear you ask? Friends make your life better; they make life more enjoyable. Research has shown that strong friendships can lower stress, improve a person’s self confidence, lead to increased happiness and better overall health.
Personally, my friends are important to me because they keep me going. They are there for me when I’m sad, and encourage me to persevere. They praise me when I achieve something, and share things with me as we play games and enjoy time together.
We know from reading the research that loneliness, living alone and having few or no friends has been shown to be as bad for your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Loneliness is worse for you than obesity, and can increase your risk of death by 29%.
Lonely people are more likely to suffer from dementia, heart disease and depression.
As you can see, friendship really does matter.
Bad friendships can negatively affect your health too. There have been numerous studies carried out on the effects of friendship, and bad moral choices can be copied by friends, for example, smoking and drinking excessively. Also, a bad friend will put you down and not build you up, although you could question whether that friend has ever really been your friend at all. In choosing friends, you should choose wisely. To quote Marlin in the film ‘Finding Nemo’: “With fronds like these who needs anenomes?”
Let’s look at the ingredients for being a good friend.
A good friend should be 3 Es :
- Empathetic. A friend needs to understand your feelings and care for you.
- Encouraging. A friend tells you that you CAN do something and helps you along the way.
- Enriching. A friend should want to spend time with you, enjoying life and shared interests and experiences.
However, a friend should also be wise and challenging, for example warning you if you are doing something harmful to yourself or others.
Is it possible to be friends with someone very different from you?
YES! As long as you accept and enjoy your differences, you can learn from one another. The more you get to know one another, the better you will be able to empathise and see things from new perspectives.
Is it possible to be friends with someone very similar to you?
YES! You will know how the other person feels and have had experiences in that area. You will know how to make the person feel better, and react in the right way when they tell you certain things.
Let’s appreciate our friends and value them. Tell them and show them that we care and spend time with them, and let’s be grateful and thankful that we have such friends in our lives.
Finally, these quotes sum up friendship for me.
‘A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.’ Elbert Hubbard
‘There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.’ Jane Austen
‘There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.’ Anonymous
‘Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.’ Oprah Winfrey
‘I understand you…and I shall not attempt to make you change your mind…I shall help you even if I disagree with you.’ Milan Kundera