How does one define friendship? To me, friendships can be forged between family members, husbands and wives, co-workers, classmates and so forth. For the purpose of this article, however, I will restrict the definition of friendship to this : frienship between friends.
Is friendship for a lifetime? What do you think? For me personally, I believe that a friendship can be for a lifetime. However, whether friendships can last for a lifetime or not will depend on several factors. Firstly, friendships need time to cultivate. So it’s crucial that you spend time with your friends if you want your friendships to last. Secondly, for friendships to last, there must be mutual trust. Thirdly, honesty is essential if you want your friendships to last. In addition, friendships must be genuine in order to last. Last but not least, friendships must be built on the foundation of love in order to stand the test of time.
Now, let me elaborate on these factors. If you are someone who values friendships, I believe that making time to cultivate them will be of great importance to you and will be deemed as necessary too. It is also crucial that you spend time regularly with your friends if you want your friendships to last for a lifetime.
For friendships to last for a lifetime, mutual trust is extremely critical. Just imagine what will happen if you do not trust your friends and vice-versa. You will probably be guarded when you are in the presence of your friends. Likewise, your friends will probably be guarded when they are in your presence. Do you not think that your contact with one another will diminish over time if trust is lacking?
Honesty is closely linked to mutual trust. Why do I say that? The reason is simple. Can you trust your friends if they lie to you, especially if they are consistently dishonest towards you? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? Honesty is crucial in all relationships, especially if you want your relationships, including friendships, to grow and to last. Without consistent honesty, you can expect your friendships to be shallow and non-lasting.
What do I mean by genuine friendships? I believe that a genuine friendship is not and should not be based on what one can gain from it. If a person intends to gain something from a friendship, then I would thnk that this friendship is not genuine. I believe that whether a friendship is genuine or not can be known over a period of time. Do you stand by your friends when they encounter difficulties in their lives? Do your friends stand by you when you encounter hardships? If your answer is yes, then surely the friendships are genuine and you should treasure them.
Last but not least, lasting friendships are built on the foundation of love. Some of you may be thinking that the only relationship that requires love to be the foundation is that between a husband and a wife or between a parent and a child. But I beg to differ. I believe that true friendships are also built on the foundation of love, and therefore are able to withstand all kinds of test, including the test of time. With this, I conclude my article.
Copyright by Chan Hui Li Annie
