What is Friendship?

Friendship

                                       "Friendship is an in-depth relationship combining trust, support, communication, loyalty, understanding, empathy, and intimacy."

Friendship is a feeling of comfort and emotional safety with a person. It is when you do not have to weigh your thoughts and measure words, before keeping it forth before your friend. It is when someone knows you better than yourself and assures to be your side in every emotional crisis. It is when you can sleep fighting and get another morning with a better understanding. Friendship is much beyond roaming together and sharing good moments, it is when someone comes to rescue you from the worst phase of life.                    True friendship is a precious gift. Your friend will provide the most understanding, loyal, trustworthy, helpful relationship this world could offer. This can be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or childhood comrade.
                           Just as a young mother will let go of the protective, supportive hand of her young child as he takes his first steps, a friend will know when to hold on to encourage you and know when to let go so you can soar to new heights. Just as a loving father walks down the isle and puts the precious hand of his daughter into the hand of her new husband, a true friend will guide you with gentle love. They might not always be by your side, but they will always be in your heart.
Friends stick it out through thick and thin. When you celebrate, they celebrate with you. When you suffer a loss, they sit beside you in mourning. And you, in turn, are there when they need them. You defend your friends, even if they disagree with some of the things they do.

                           A true friend always has your back. You can trust them completely. They deliberately and intentionally include you in their life, making you feel like a part of a team. Friends are able to confide their deepest secrets and share their biggest fears with you. They will listen to you vent for two hours on the same boring subject and just let you get it all out. A great friend will know that you will also be there on their day to vent, so they will tolerate you, because they have learned to trust you.

                             When a true friend has wonderful news, they can't wait to share it with you. And that same friend is always available to hear you share your good news. When you sit anxiously waiting for a doctor's report, they sit waiting with you. They know in their heart, you'll be there, should the situation reverse, with a comforting word to fit any situation.

                            Your best friend will forgive you when you lose their favorite keepsake. And you would forgive them if they borrow something of yours and ruin it. Now, true friends will not cross the line and take advantage, or use you for personal gain. But sometimes, things happen. We are not all perfect. A real friend knows your personality well enough to know that certain things are not your typical behavior, and they will forgive an occasional lack of good judgement. Being a good friend means you also would be forgiving of them for almost anything if they were sincerely sorry.

                           Your best friend will remain when several other friends come and go. Sure, we all get bored and want to go to new places and try new things. But that wonderful song from our days as children in the Scouts said: Make new friends, but keep the old. Some are silver and the others are gold.

                           True friendship endures the test of time. You would give up your important material things for your friend. It is written that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend.

 

COMPARISON OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP & FRIENDSHIP:
                         In a comparison of personal relationships, friendship is considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association can be thought of as spanning across the same continuum. The study of friendship is included in the fields of sociology, social psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and zoology. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, among which are social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.