Introduction
Globally it’s very ludicrous today for people to claim that they are in a friendship yet they don’t even know the true meaning of friendship. It’s important to note that friendship is not only considered to revolve around close proximity, but also involve strong commitment, attachment, reliability, belief and trust among many more social aspects practiced by both partners.
A real friend is based on the true definition of friendship and will always do anything and never bother to give a second thought on any circumstantial factor arising that prevents them from making their friends happy.
This is a symbol of true friendship built on the basis of sacrifice, love, suffering endurance and strong close attachment which is unconditional. Best friends will neither mind nor care of any social, political and any tribal stigma coming on to their way; simply because true friendship is a tremendous assurance and satisfaction which guarantees complete loyalty on each other at all time.
Discussion
In my opinion, friendship cannot exist in absence of core values which must be evident for any association to be considered as friendship. Bearing in mind that friendship is primarily an interpersonal relationship which is considered to be more close and intimate as compared to any normal association. Many people have categorized friendship as an association between two persons, but the truth is that friendship is stronger and possesses a wider degree of intimacy as compared to an ordinary association.
For instance, an associate is always considered not to be a true friend since sharing of emotional support is never experienced. Generally, the tendency to desire and approve what is best for the other, such as sympathy and empathy are some of the strong elements of friendship. Moreover, honesty is another element of true friendship especially in situations where under normal circumstances it would be more difficult for one to speak the truth precisely when pointing out any perceived fault of the other counterpart.
In addition, there are other very important elements of true friendship which include; mutual understanding, compassion at all times and ability to offer emotional support where both partners practice a relationship based on equality. True friends will always encourage one another either by compliment or by good deeds so as to nurture their friendship.
Within any personal relationship, such as family, romantic relationship or any form of relationship, true friendship is defined by the fact that there is no rightful claim on anything except trust.
Anyone who expects true friendship will definitely feel obligated towards the other person in a way that supports their friendship. Based on true friendship, a person will value much the friendship and will willingly consider taking up obligations of their partners. Partners in a friendship are also supposed to live in harmony and be supportive of each other in certain duties and tasks.
It’s understandable that, a shared commitment between two parties seems to be quite an extraneous idea of friendship especially in a culture setting dominated by people who strongly exercise an aspect of utilitarian individualism. In such a setting, true friendship acquires a meaning expressed by a special relationship between two people involved in a uniquely constituted implication of virtues necessary for a better living, since nobody will ever choose to live without friends even when one has all basic neccessities.
Not everywhere globally do we find individuals who practice true friendship, in some countries especially African countries where many different tribal groups exist; it’s evident that friendship development first depends on tribal similarities then other related elements are considered.
In America where blacks and whites co-exists together, it happens at times that many whites will always rejects any form of friendship or association with the blacks, otherwise called racism. This is precisely against true definition of friendship where love overcomes any form of obstacle arising and where both parties are equal.
In India where people live and believe in the caste system, there is always divisions among each class of people which again limits true friendship and allows humans to classify the people that they socialize with. It is uncommon to find for instance the Brahmas socializing with lower class people like the Sudra who are considered poor servants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s obvious that in today’s materialistic and selfish universe, the true definition of real friendship appears to have completely lost its former meaning; as it seems that discrimination based on tribal, cultural, racial, wealth and many other factors persist which has limited the existence of any form of true friendship.