Friendship is rare....

Had an interesting chat with a friend of mine about 'friendship'. What does your dictionary define friendship as?

It makes me wonder a lot really. What exactly makes a person qualify to be your 'friend'? Must it be that this certain person has to fit into a certain criteria that meet your requirement? Let's say you do have certain friends you're close with. What brings them closer to you? Sharing the same interests? Knowing that he/she likes certain someone and he/she told you about it and not other people thus making you feel closer? Or just spending a few memorable heart to heart talks for one or two nights? See, back then I’d always thought that you could only be considered close to a person if you know stuffs about them. Their agenda, their favorite hangout spot, their favorite color, food, drinks, what they like to do, what they hate, etc. Then it’d be knowing a few secrets about them that not much people know that makes you feel like you’re close to them. Otherwise it'll be hanging out with each other pointlessly doing nothing. Then my friend popped me this question

"Ron, how well do you know me..?"

I froze for a while. Weird...I thought to myself. We share our issues. We hang out a lot. I know what you like and what you don't like. But yet, how come it felt weird trying to answer that question? As much as i hate to say this, no matter how close you are to someone, you'll never know them as well as you actually think you do because what you see isn't what you'll always get. I have great bunch of friends who know certain facts in my life. I have friends who stuck with me through thick and thin. I have friends who give me the most comforting answers when I asked questions. Don’t get me wrong, I'm ever so blessed and thankful to have them but then again...really, who are they?

I believe each and every individual have certain side of them where you'll never come to know about. Their deep dark little secret. If I were to tell you, I murdered someone few years ago, will you still be my friend? Will you still think I’m the 'funny-jolly-happy-go-lucky' Ron that you thought you'd always knew? Of course I’m using this as an example only. But think about it. Will you still accept me as your friend?

Someone I can always trust without any single doubt at the back of my mind because I know that that person will never ever turn their back on me. Someone that'll never judge me for who I was before, what I did and who I am now. Someone that’ll give me hope when I think the situation is hopeless. Someone who’ll never ditch the friendship we're having. It’s not about how much I know about them but rather, how much we’re willing to let ourselves know about each other and yet still being able to love each other for who we are and what we've done for each other. That's friendship.

What's your definition?


In Him