“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” – C. S. Lewis
Genuine friendships, and not affiliated partnerships in disguise, are priceless; they represent true riches. An individual with a few good friends is blessed, and an individual with many great friends understands the significance. Authentic friendships evolve into members of extended family. Anthropologically speaking conventional pathways show that families are our first level of kinship, by which support, networking, alliance is offered. Social benefits and goods are in place for a new member of a family to inherit. Inheritance assists the entire family. Family members exchange social goods in order to advance in individual endeavors. The point to make with families is that there is a degree of assistance available to the individual member. Families today are more complex though and require further discussion.
On the other hand, friendship formations do not occur nor develop from birth. Friendship begins between two strangers who know nothing about each other’s past, present, or future selves. Vulnerability must play a role in order to remove any barriers to showing one another’s true selves and accepting the other. Individuals find a way to learn to trust the other and also learn how to convey trust for the other. The maxim is reaffirming, which is that in order to have a friend an individual must know how to be a friend. Every relationship, including friendship, is about a give-and-take balance. A one-sided relationship is suspicious. Friendship is captivating, because it is a miracle. With all of our various differences, we are capable of finding virtue in others. Seek to contribute to a friend’s life and making it better also.
Time for friends is a necessity. Everyone carries challenges with them day-to-day that might distract them from seeing other people including friends. Do not allow this to occur, because the loss of a friend might contribute to a greater problem. With today’s modern technology distance should not play a factor between friends. Calling is one of the best options to shorten the distance and to talk about each other’s days. Having a quality someone to honestly listen and care is perhaps one of the reasons why we are alive. The choice is needed in ranking priorities and determining where friends fall.
Then, further arguments arise concerning how to reconcile friendship and the tranquility and self-reliance that solitude has to offer.
//E.G.//
againstmodernconsciousness 