Who do you call your friend? and who do you call your associates?

Well, I have only one person whom become a close friend aside from my family members. She has been my friend since we were yet in high school until now that we are already mothers. Several friends became close to me but just for a few years but our friendship lasted for a long time. I only have a few friends and many associates and schoolmates that I have known.

Well friends are just the associates that have came close in time. So telling people they are your associates and not your friends will only make them drift apart. While telling those associates that they are part of your friend circle will make them feel that yes indeed you are their friend. They will become your friends and you never know when this friendship may become important. Keep those people as associates that you do not like from there behavior and know to be a crook. These people always exist in your class as no matter what the circle there are always exceptions. That can be your parameter of differentiating.

While some people would say that the life that I have is a sad life because I don't have a lot of friends, I think that things are much better this way because I'm far happier having a few friends and lots of acquaintances. Those people that I consider to be my friends are the people that I can share everything with, such as my husband and people that I've known for years before I hit a barrier in my life that made me really shield myself. Those people that are acquaintances are people that I can hang out with and have a good time, but people I'm not able to bare my soul to.

I call friend those whom I have grown closer with and those that I trust. I label associates those whom I keep a civilized relationship with but I have no attempts of drawing closer to them because of something that I do not like about them. I give particular attention to those that I cannot really get along with.

maybe the word 'associates' are for formal term while the word 'friends' is for informal term, so someone i know from work is my associates while someone i know personally is my friends, for people i know from work and i also know them personally then i can call them both depending on the situation...

I agree with you about the friends thing. I am in the Spirituality and Religion business so I don't call alot of the people that I meet friends. I call the COLLEAGUES and rightfully so because we all only have that main thing in common. Most I have known only few years and have a good professional relationship but I don't trust them all enough to call them a friend.

I think friends are person that one is closer to, usually this even sharing personal secrets. However, an associate is someone who is not too close but one is familiar with the person and this often involve moving with the person. This could involve sharing business secrets but not personal secrets.

I am glad to say that my thinking is just like you.when i am in school i also used to say all are friends like that....but later few years i recognised and i use to say,they are my friends,my classmates,my roommates,my madam,my coliege etc,because i recognised who are true to us,and whats the actuall relationships.

I think the difference between a friend and an associates is not so much a matter that how long you've stayed together,but lies in mutul understanding. Even a person with whom you have been worked together for a long time,you may be just associates but not friends. From my point of view, a frieng is who you can chare your happiness as well as sadness with, and who always stand with you.