mell scrie:11.Speak about the importance of friendship in one’s life. You may give yourself as an example.
"Friendship is almost always the union of a part of one mind with a part of another; people are friends in spots !" ( George Santayana )
"Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love !" ( William Shakespeare )
"To like and dislike the same things that is true friendship !" ( Sallust )
"Love is blind ! Friendship closes its eyes !" ( A French Proverb )
Introduction :
- friends welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism;
- friends' tastes are usually similar and may converge, and they share enjoyable activities;
- friends engage in mutually helping behaviour, such as exchange of advice and sharing of hardships;
Development :
A. True Friendship Desires What Is Best for the Other :
- friendship is desired, searched and appreciated by all human beings, because it is grounded in a concern on the part of a human being ( a possible friend ) for the welfare of another human being ( the acquired friend ) for the other's sake;
- that is why friendship is central to the life of each one of us;
- for many people, friendship is nothing more than the trust that someone or something will not hurt them;
- value found in friendship is often the result of a friend demonstrating altruism on a consistent basis;
- altruism is the opposite of selfishness;
- altruism focuses on the motivation to help others or a want to do good without reward;
- pure altruism is giving without regard to reward or the benefits of recognition;
- probably parents are pure altruist people to their children, and the relationship parent-child is a very special one , but not the friendship in the common sense of the word ( as it is usually unidirectional, from parent to the taught child, it is more like a God-man relationship );
- to be a real friendship it has to be between equals exercising mutual altruism;
B. True Friendship Sympathizes, Empathizes, and Understands the Other's Heart's Needs :
- value that it is found in friendship is also the result of a friend demonstrating sympathy, empathy and understanding for his friend on a consistent basis;
- sympathy is a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings;
- the essence of sympathy is that one has a strong concern for the other person;
- in common usage, sympathy means to become aware of another person's unhappiness and suffering;
- more than simply recognizing someone's suffering, empathy is actually sharing another's suffering ( even if this is just for a very brief period );
- when two friends understand each other up to mutual sympathy and empathy they can reach the peaks of genuine friendship;
C. True Friendship Is Always Honest, Frank and Loyal :
- value that is found in friendship is also the result of a friend demonstrating his or her honesty, frankness and loyalty on a consistent basis;
- the value of honesty is much appreciated in friendship, especially in situations where it may be difficult for other people to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart;
- but the point at which friends can drop their reserve and reveal themselves to others is the point at which their relationship advances to a higher level;
- one frankness invites a reciprocal frankness;
- franknesses of the heart give friends access to mutual franknesses of each other's selves;
- constancy, fidelity and trustworthiness play a central role in loyalty;
- friendly loyalty means standing by someone despite occasions of disagreement and disapproval;
- because friendship is first about fidelities, and only afterwards about what tests fidelities;
- the component virtues of constancy and trustworthiness are especially valuable in friendship when troubles come;
- because constancy and trustworthiness are an infinitely greater comfort to anyone sleepless in the dark night of the soul than such impersonal helps as medication, "friendly" counsellors, or prayers;
Conclusion :
- friendship is not the trust that someone will not hurt me;
- friendship denotes co-operative and supportive behaviour between two or more beings;
- friendship involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection along with a degree of rendering service to friends in time of need or crisis;
- friendship is grounded in a concern for the welfare of the other for the other's sake, and that involves some degree of intimacy;