Personal growth🌴 Uncategorized

The Role Of Friendship

Before we dive into today’s topic, the first question is who is a friend? What is the role of friendship in our lives and existence?

A friend is a person you share close or mutual affection with. It could be in form of kindness, empathy, compassion, common interests, common beliefs, loyalty, or even fun. Friendship could be in person or virtual. Friendship most times come with trust, honesty, respect, and love which should be mutual. This can be is someone you know and you are fond of.

Friends can be made in a lot of places like work, school, social media, camping/trips, roadside😂, book club, conferences, occasions/events, churches, hospitals, etc..

kinds of friendship

Aristotle figured there were three kinds of friendships:

1) Friendships of utility: This kind of friendship that exists between you and someone that is in some way helpful to you. For example let’s say

Jane is friends with Mary because she helps her take care of her baby while she cooks or runs errands, and while Jane is running her errands she can help Mary out. 

It is the ideal scratch my back and I scratch yours kind of friendship.

Aristotle figured there were three kinds of friendships:

2) Friendships of pleasure: This is a type of friendship that exists between you and people you enjoy hanging out with. Often, these are people you enjoy lots of activities with, such as gisting, vacations, hangouts, exercise, swimming, etc. These are people who you chit chat and joke with.

3) Friendships of the good: This type occur mainly as a result of mutual respect and admiration. It is  stronger, long-lasting, and enduring. It usually takes a longer time to build, unlike the other ones.  It often arises when people realize that they have something in common which might be similar goals and values. They might also have similar views about the world and how things should be. This friendship might begin in childhood, adolescence or college although some might develop after that.

Friendship can go from acquaintance → friend→ a close friend → best friend

8 important Types of friends you need

Here are 8 important types of friends you need.

  1. A loyal friend
  2. A fearless adventurer
  3. A brutally honest person
  4. A wise mentor
  5. A friend from a different culture
  6. A polar opposite
  7. A friendly neighbor
  8. A work friend

importance of friendship

  •  Support: We all have rough days when we need someone to talk to and a shoulder to lean on. A friend is always there to listen without judging as well as support you. They give you advice and see to it that you are on the right path.
  •  Improving the quality of life: Friends give you a reason to laugh, have fun, chill, and relax. Without friends, our lives will be boring because there will be less people to make you happy. This can help you to overcome depression and also help in improving your mental health.
  • Boosts self-confidence: When we doubt ourselves and our abilities, friends are there to encourage us. They push you to become a better version of yourself, overcome obstacles, accomplish tasks, and meet deadlines. They are one of our cheerleaders💃🏽.
  • Share secrets: There are times when you have something to say or some challenges you want to tell someone. We all have secrets we are afraid to share because you are afraid of being embarrassed. A true friend will be there to listen without judging and keep your secrets.
  • Builds stronger relationships: Relationships like marriage, courtship, etc will not be strong enough if friendship is absent. If friendship is absent the relationship is deficient.
  • General growth and wellbeing: Without any doubt, you all will agree with me that good friends help you grow in every area of life. They know your weak points and strong points. They help sharpen our blunt areas and inconsistencies. They help strengthen our weaknesses, hide our flaws and help us become a better and stronger version of ourselves. Physically, they motivate us to live a healthier and active life. Mentally, they help us stay intact to face the day’s challenges. We have people to share our worries and doubts with, making us feel better. In social settings, friends will keep us company to avoid feeling alone.

  • Relieves stress: Think about going to work, coming back stressed and you have someone to tell how your day went, how you feel, and your challenges. Someone to advise and help you out when you are stuck. Friends help relieve stress.

  • Love and Cheerfulness: Aside from the days when we feel good and excited, we all have days that are gloomy and sad. It’s always good to know you have a friend to run to, someone that loves you and cares about you, someone that knows your good and bad sides, your flaws and still care and love you.

  • Openness and Honesty: Good friends are always ready and willing to listen. They try to make out time for each other. That way, the friendship becomes better and stronger. Friends that really care about you will always tell you the truth even if it hurts. This will make you get better.
  • Fun, laughter and adventures: With friends around you, sadness will not linger for too long. these are people that will help us stay excited, laugh, gist, discuss new trends, and have fun and forget about your worries.

How to improve friendship

Friendship, like any other type of relationship can be difficult to develop. Therefore, maintaining a friendship requires effort. friendship is also mutual. sometimes you are giving, while other times you will be on the receiving end.

To nurture your friendships:

  • Be kind.
  • Have a good attitude
  • Listen up.
  • By being compassionate
  • Open up.
  • Be trustworthy
  • Be responsible, reliable, accountable and dependable
  • Make yourself available/ make out time.
  • Stay in touch(chats, calls, visits, etc)
  • Manage your nerves with mindfulness.
  • Accommodate others
  • Show love

Remember, it’s never too late to build new friendships or reconnect with old friends.

(4) Comments

  1. I have just learnt something new
    Weldon juddies

    1. judith_kanu says:

      thank you dear🤗

  2. […] Communicate and build strong relationships with others […]

  3. judith_kanu says:

    You are welcome. I’m glad you found the piece helpful🤗

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