I have always felt that people that are your true friends may not always be the ones that you see everyday, or have a drink or coffee with.
But in some cases, your true friends are the people you have not spoken to in a while, or have not sat down with to chat. True friendship does not always require constant physical contact but thrives more on a spiritual connection.
I feel like very few people nowadays appreciate the true meaning of friendship. We have lost the meaning of having a friend and being a friend in our lives. We have come to assume that if we know one’s name and say hello to them everyday, then we are friends.
We associate friendship with brief encounters of human contact . The world has become such a fast paced racetrack that we are all busy speeding our way to the finish line. We don’t stop for just a moment to have actual connections with the people around us. We seem to find ourselves crashing into each other, with very little emotional connection and we assume that we are now friends.
The world we live in today makes it almost impossible to have friends and to be a friend. We are too busy with our lives, chasing after big dreams and big money. We don’t realize that along the way, we will need someone to be by our side.
We affix our eyes on the fantasy of the big win that we relinquish the reality of a meaningful life filled with people who stand by our side. We have come to believe that friendship is a luxury we cannot afford. We have come to assume that friends always want something from us, and we are not so willing to give. Our lives have become as expensive as the world is. We have very little to spare. Everything is measured by monetary value. It’s all about what you can do for me.
I believe that friendship is about defying the odds that the world has set against us. Great friendships were never been made in times of riches and plenty . Great friendship are made in times of hunger, pain and hopelessness.
True friends are those that come running when every one else is running out of our lives.
True friends are the ones that will pick up the pieces of our brokenness and somehow make us whole again.
Friends are the ones that are never afraid to tell us the truth, even though it may hurt. They will save us from our sinking ship, even though we refuse to heed their warnings.
True friends are always the first ones there and the last ones to leave. They are the ones that will know our weaknesses and will never reveal them to the world. True friends are those that will laugh at our faults and correct our thoughts. They are the ones that will shield us from the harsh judgment the world will have for us. They will stand beside us to share out shame and fame. They are the ones that will travel half way across the world when our worlds come crashing down. Friends never expect anything but our true friendship in return. There is no jealousy or completion, but a rare partnership that only a true heart and mind can understand.
We all need to be friends and have friends. We need to quit being selfish, realize what is to be selfless and begin to be worthy friends to those around us.
We need to rediscover the journey of friendship and begin to practice the lessons we learn along the way. We need to quit being paranoid, walking around with the notion that the person who is saying hello to us, trying to get to know us better, really has some hidden agenda.
We need to stop thinking that maybe they want to know about us so that they can tell the whole world who we really are, the problems we have and the plans we may have.
We need to rid ourselves of the thought that by opening ourselves to people, we have much to lose and they have so much to gain.
We need to realize that not everyone is out to bring us down and maybe they are looking for the great friend in us that we have not given a chance to be revealed.
We need to have a hunger for the power of great friendship. We need to yearn for the chance to be the ones that rise to the occasion, the ones that will be a hero to our friends. The ones that will be the first ones there, help put the fire and be the last ones to leave.
We need to open ourselves to trust another human being to be our hero and be there when we least expect it.
We all need to realize some very important things. Just because we talk to someone everyday and see them everyday, it does not mean that they are our true friend. It may be the person hidden in the corner , watching from afar that will be there. Our daily encounters will be the first ones to run out.
I am always telling people that if you know a person only by their first name and have no clue what their last name is, then that may not be a friend but an encounter. I know it may be a funny way to measure friendship, but it reveals the limit of your interaction with that person. If you don’t go beyond the first name, then you may not want to know more about that person. Think about it. Why wouldn’t you want to know your friend’s first and last name?
We owe it to ourselves to go beyond the first name, break the barriers of paranoia and selfish attitudes. We need to have true and meaningful friendships and be true friends.
We must break down the walls and let friendship be a part of our lives because we all need a friend to count on. This is the time for a more meaningful connection.
The only way to have a friend is to be one.
to all my friends..be with u guys, give me happiness n hope..whatever it is..we were friends.
