Essay
Friendship refers to the state of being friends, or a friendly feeling. In the Western countries, friendship refers to a voluntary relationship that encompasses intimacy, equality, shared interests as well as pleasurable or need-satisfying interactions (Lang & Fingerman, 2003). However, friendship should not have a fixed definition but rather should get based on a person’s notions. My personal definition of the term friendship is an emotion expressed in a manner that makes other feel wanted, important, cared and appreciated, a strong relationship between a person or persons in which those involved have some companion and can share as well as help when one is in need. A friend is a person whom one shares a friendship, and the relationship often gets led by various aspects or qualities in the person. Friendship also develops in varying periods that may be months or even years. Friendship gets shared between two, hence to have a friend one has to be a friend.
The friendship experienced by different people different individuals due to various aspects. For instance, the friendship that develops between a parent and child is different from peer relationship or friendship. Also, the relationship that develops between a child and their parent changes significantly at different ages as they grow.
All kinds of friendships rested on consciousness and reciprocated goodwill between the involved. It gets categorized into three classes namely character friendship, friendship for utility and friendship for pleasure (Kristjánsson, 2012). Character friendships are genuine and complete, and love for one another is because of the respective virtuous characters and wish the best for one another, each for the other’s sake. This kind of friendship often last for long periods, and virtue is enduring. Utility friendships are those in which love for others exists not for themselves, but for as long as the relationship is beneficial for self. Friendship based on pleasure exists where relationships do not get based on moral characters but rather on whether they appear pleasant to us such as are witty of affable.
All persons have a best friend in their lives whether they are a person or an animal. The reason for best friends in a person life is to provide companionship that can as well get provided by pets such as dogs and cats. For teenagers, best friends not only support and help them but also are individuals who they broadly share life moments and experiences. They also know a person’s dark secrets. Therefore, best’s friends are extremely trustworthy.
Friendships play significant roles in people’s daily lives. Friends are great supporters and comforters in tough everyday circumstances. For instance, peers are a great source of comfort and support to other peers. When a student undergoes trying moments in school, it is the sole role of friends to support them and assist them out of the messy or difficult situation. The situation can also get solved by a parent or a teacher or a counselor who can offer guidance, encouragement, and support depending on the level of friendship that exists between them. The relationship tat exists between a girlfriend, and a boyfriend is unique since the two love each other so much and are extremely fond of the other. The two grow close and share lots of experiences and moments hence strengthening the bond and the relationship.
A perfect example of friendship gets shown in the movie series prison break. In the first episode of the prison break, Michael Scofield creates a strategic plan in which he aims at helping his brother, Lincoln Burrows escape from prison. This action not got implemented due to the family bond that existed between the two but also because of love and great friendship. Michael had to get arrested and jailed himself so that he could assist Burrows escape. This movie act confirms the aspect that friendship entails the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the other when in need (Epstein, 2007). A personal experience of friendship that I experienced was a time when I was thirteen, and I was experiencing a very tough time. It was a trying moment for our family. There was this neighborhood schoolmate, whom we could meet at the playground, at school and often assisted each other in assignments but had not talked about friendship. During this time, I got overwhelmed by the problem that I considered telling my school teacher. Someday before I had gone to my teacher, this friend found me in deep thoughts, became concerned, and I had to tell them what was bothering me. Interestingly, the friend did not judge me, but offered support, advice and encouraged me. The friend checked on me on a daily basis until all was well with me. It was one time; I had a friend who got committed to my well-being and who helped me although a problem.
It is always difficult to find a real and genuine friend, hence when one finds such a friend they should treasure them like a rare gift. Friendship should influence a person positively, and assist them to grow in all dimensions of life ranging from socially to professionally to behavior wise.
References
Epstein, J. (2007): Friendship: an expose. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Lang, F. R., & Fingerman, K. L. (2003): Growing together: Personal relationships across the life span. Cambridge University Press.
Kristjánsson, K. (2012): Aristotle, emotions, and education. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in research paper services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for cheap research paper services.
