What is Friendship?

I have lots of friends honestly. We always help one another as true friends do. Being with each other is one of the things that makes our day. As we are kind to each other, we are also loyal. I don't think that one of them neither am I lied to me and to them. But we are making sure that we know the limitation. Since we are already mature and can stand in our own, we had a deal that we should not always help each other when one of us see another struggling. We should fight for ourselves. This story reminds us of that thing: Once, there was a man who found a cocoon of a butterfly. He kept it for himself for an observation. Then he noticed an opening in the cocoon. The butterfly struggled to come out of the opening. Then after some struggle, the butterfly stopped its efforts and remind still again. The man decided to help the butterfly so he got a pair of scissors. He cut the remaining bits of the cocoon so that the butterfly could easily come out. After cutting the cocoon, he expects that the butterfly would come out and spread its wings and fly. But what happened was horrible, the butterfly could never open its wings. It spent the rest of its life crawling with shriveled wings and swollen body. The man was trying to be friends with the butterfly but hurt it in his kindness. The man didn't know that by the struggling of the butterfly out of the hole, it was trying to release fluid in the wings but he stopped the natural process by cutting it.

We have friends everywhere; we are friendly with neighbors, co-workers and classmates, but what makes a friendship true? A friendship that is true is the one that stands the test of time, distance and life changes. Some of us will think of somebody we have not seen or spoken with for over a year, the phone rings and there is our friend, the one we can start talking with as if time had stood still since our last discussion.

You are right. Many of us got too many friends, they add new friends every day and very easily, but how many are real friends? So i think nowadays, the word "friend" is a very generalized concept. And they may just talk few hours and know little about each other. But traditionally, the word "friend" means lots of things. Firstly, friends, as you said, should know each other very well and understand each other. They are not only pals eating and drinking together, they can sacrifice for each other. That is true friends. So there is a saying goes: in the time of hardship, you will know who is your ture friend. And i also think those who got too many friends does not have true friends. One true friend weighs more than several evil associates.

I think one can have more acquaintances rather than true friends. As the saying goes you will be lucky enough to have just one confidant. Only a confidant can really understand you and help you to get through trouble. When you have something that you can hardly tell others, true friends can be so comfort that you can give up you weriness and tell everything to them. You do not need to scruple; you can laugh loudly or burst into tears without considering image. You do not need to fake. If we can get such a friend, how lucky we are.

dear ptower, I think friendship is nothing but only sharing your feelings to other. Its said that you can minimize your sadness by sharing your best friend. So sharing both happiess and sadness is the name of Friendship.... Thanks Arvind

Friendship is considered to be closer than association, but there is a range of degrees of intimacy. I can say that I'm lucky, though I only have few friends, but they are true to me, and for that I feel so blessed. They're always there for me, in good times and in bad.

To me, friendship means someone that I am close to. Perhaps as much as my family. Perhaps even more so than some members of my family. It is really a person that I can share a lot with. Without any fear that my confidence being betrayed and them telling my personal business to other people. By that criteria when you really think about it, my true friends are few and far between. I think that really in this world you might only have a handful of friends. You might have people that you might think of as friends, but really they are just really strong acquaintances or associates. Real friends are something that should be cherished. When you think about it, there is a chance that you might have more than a handful but when you think about true friends, it is really not any for most people. Or at least for me.

A friend for me would be someone who is involved in my personal life like she knows things about me personally. Others would fall as acquaintances. :) I don't have many of them but I know that the ones I have now are for keeps. That is what is more important for me. :)

Friendship simply means sharing