Importance Of Friendship

Friendship is one of the most beautiful relations of all. Without any fuss, confusion, tangles and commitment life becomes a cake-walk if you have a hand of a friend to hold on. It is a divine blessing of God. Don't you agree? If not, then tell me, how is it possible that in population of more than a million you somehow stuck with someone who is just like you? We also say at times, This world is so mean, then how come there are few people who are ready to take all your sorrows and are always there for you when you need them. I can say this because I have been gifted with such a beautiful gift called F.R.I.E.N.D.S in my life.

Sometimes I wonder God has given us so many relations to cherish where each one of it having its own importance in our life. Friendship is the only relation out of all which is apart from caste, class, blood or status. It just needs to check the love in the heart of the other person to be friends with. So why do we need friends? What is the importance of friendship in our life? After wondering a lot, I got my answer. Whenever I am upset, they are the first one who notices that sadness in my eyes, no matter how hard I try to hide it behind my smile. Whenever I am stuck in a problem and have no solution, no matter how serious the issue may be, they are the one who provides me the best possible way out of it. Whenever I need a company they are the one who come to me and make me laugh leaving behind other things. Even if it is about convincing parents for a night out or going to a friends birthday party at discotheque, friends are best in their job. They are the people with whom everything can be discussed without a pre-thought that it is personal. Whenever you look back in your life, youll realize they are the one with whom you have shared the best and the worst. With so much dire need of friends in our life how can we think of existing without them? Though we have many people around us, but there are only close friends who make all the difference. If they are present nothing else matter. Friendship is that innocent feeling as of a small child whose love is unconditional, uncommitted and yet so pure. Friends are a family outside home where the responsibility of each person is shared equally by everyone else. Like a family, they guide you to a right path and never let you divert from your target. They are good to be relied on and there is a sense of security whenever you are with them. Friendship is like an investment, the more you invest the more you reap. An investment is in terms of trust and faith which is the root of any strong relation. No matter how much you spend together on your vodkas or how many night outs

you have enjoyed together, if there is no seed of trust and faith in the soil the tree of friendship cannot stand long. Life with friends becomes an easy going journey that you would never like to get over with. Each day spent with them is to be cherished in a different way even if some days bring lot of misunderstandings or fights. But whatever it is, friendship is an old book, while turning its pages you go through a lot of mixed feelings realizing that even after sharing the best and the worst you are still together.

10 Ways to Make Friends

By THERESE J. BORCHARD Associate Editor

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it also takes a village at best a supportive community, and at the least a few very good friends to keep a person sane and happy. All of us need companionship, which is exactly why teenagers are texting their friends in the middle of dinner (TMI, BFF, OMG ), and why people who didnt own a personal computer last year now have profiles on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites. Maybe the first trick to finding friends is to befriend ourselves, and to become comfortable with silence, because no one has the power to make us feel okay with ourselves but us. But, lest we stay quiet for too long, here are 10 techniques to meet new friends, which I think everyone can benefit from, because, as I learned in Girl Scouts a few hundred years ago (where I didnt make any friends), some are silver and the others are old, I mean gold. 1. Join a book club. Most of my friends are in book clubs, and, I have to admit, Im a little envious of the discussions that happen in these groups. If your neighborhood doesnt have a book club, you can usually join one as part of the local library, the recreational or community center, the community college, or online, of course. 2. Volunteer. That one seems like a no-brainer, but, seriously, have you ever considered the many charities to which you could give your time? Your local civic association is always in need of volunteers for projects like lets clean up the park before a hundred dogs crap on it again and Toys-for-Tots, Christmas in April, and so on. Dont forget about all your local politicians who need help with their campaigns. If one impresses you, offer to knock on a few doors for her or him. Host a cheese and cracker party for the community to get to know the candidate. 3. Find a support group.

Theres more to the support group universe than AA. Have you ever looked through all the local listings of meetings in your area? Theres even ACOMP (Adult Cousins of Mean People) not really. 4. Take a night class. Thats where you can supposedly meet men (or women) if you find yourself single in your late 30s or 40s or 50s. If you take a class in something that you are interested in, youre very likely to find potential friends with similar hobbies. 5. Get a dog. Im not talking about using the dog as a companion (because we know a dog is a mans best friend). I just mean that dogs are people magnetsand usually nice-people magnets. Here in Annapolis, we have dog cults. If you walk your mutt in certain neighborhoods, you will meet approximately five to ten friends per mile. Double that if youre walking a Golden Retriever. Triple it if you head to the dog park, designed specifically for doggy play, or proper socialization for dogs. 6. Steal friends. I realize this technique was frowned upon in the fifth grade. You would surely earn a reputation as a friend-stealer if you tried this too many times. But many (NOT ALL) people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. have loosened up a bit. I have found this to be a very efficient method of making friends, because someone has already done your dirty work the interview processand weeded out the toxic folks. Its like Facebook in real life. 7. Knock on doors. Yep. Thats what I did six years ago when I was stuck home with a fussy baby and going absolutely crazy. I walked around the neighborhood knocking on every porch that held a stroller. You in there. I know you have kids. You want to be my friend? I might have been a tad more subtle than that, but not much. 8. Carpool to work. Hey, it works for elementary school kids. Many 6-year-olds meet their best buddies on the bus because 1) they live in their neighborhood (what could be more convenient?), 2) they are on the same schedule, and 3) they know the same people (Susie has cooties). 9. Connect with your alumni association. I used to be much better at this before kids came along, but even today, I still pay my dues. Alumni associations are gold mines for potential friends. You already have a major experience in common: you can rehash old times as a conversation starter if you need one. Plus many associations sponsor community service events, workshops, or trips abroad that you can take advantage of even if you arent looking for fri ends. 10. Talk to strangers. I know this goes against what you were taught in elementary school. But, yes, the way to meet friends is to strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone. This means becoming the annoying lady everyone dodges on the plane: So what are you reading? Oh, Left Behind. Have you gotten to the part where everyone except a handful of people burn in hell? No? I hope I didnt ruin it for you. If you put yourself out there, yes, you will get rejected many times, and that hurts a little (sometimes a lot). But you will also find your best friends. Everyday life is full of potential friendship moments: waiting rooms, church, trains, planes, automobiles, office meetings, support groups, or coffee shops

Re: WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP ALL ABOUT?

Jul 19, 2007 friendship is something everyone needs because your true friends care and love you and they always help you when you are in trouble...it doesnt matter if you met some friends in elementary school, middle school, or high school because they all love you the same and can understand how you feel...friends change your entire life and try to make it a really good life just for you...your true friends will listen to what you have to say before making any judgements about you...sometimes friends can get mad at you for making wrong, but that is because they care for you and didnt want you to get hurt ...friends are one of the things in life you really need...

Re: WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP ALL ABOUT?

Jul 24, 2007 friends are those who will stick to you no matter what, who will be honest with u, talk some sense into you, love and support you, who listen to you, who accept you the way you and not try to change you. In hard times your true friends will shi

Eight Tips for Maintaining Friendships

A key to happiness? Find a friend!
Published on January 22, 2010 by Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project

1 inShare

Ancient philosophers and scientists agree: strong social ties are a KEY to happiness. You need close, long-term relationships; you need to be able to confide in others; you need to belong; you need to get and give support. Studies show that if you have five or more friends with whom to discuss an important matter youre far more likely to describe yourself as very happy. Not only does having strong relationships make it far more likely that you take joy in life, but studies show that it also lengthens life (incredibly, even more than stopping smoking), boosts immunity, and cuts the risk of depression.
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Best Friend Benefits

Your relationships can keep you happier and healthierbut caring for them is key.

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It can be challenging to make the first overtures of friendship (here are some tips for being likable). But once youve got the beginnings of a friendship, how do you proceed? How do you keep a friendship going? Here are some strategies that I use: 1. Use Facebook, Twitter, or other social media. One of the biggest obstacles to keeping friendships going is time. It takes time to email, to call, to make plans, to send holiday cards, to remember birthdays. For that reason, I love social media. Some people argue that technology hurts friendships, because it encourages people to stay tapping behind a computer screen rather than see people face-to-face. At the extreme, this is a bad thing, but for me, at least, technology lets me keep in touch with more friends in a wildly more efficient way. I feel more up-to-date, I feel a stronger sense of connection. At the same time 2. Show up. Nothing can replace seeing someone in person. Go to a party, go to a wedding, go to a funeral, visit a newborn baby, make a date for lunch, stop by someones desk. Make the effort. But because it can be tough to make time for friends, one strategy can be to 3. Join or start a group. Ive joined or started eleven groups since I began my happiness project, and almost all of them (particularly mychildrens literature reading groups) have been huge engines of happiness in large measure, because theyve allowed me to make and maintain new friendships. It turns out that seeing a person once every six weeks is plenty to keep a friendship alive. Meeting in a group is efficient, because you see a lot of people at once; it also means youre creating a social network, not just a one-off friendship. Its a lot easier to maintain friendships with people if you have several friends in common. 4. Think about what's fun for you. People like to socialize in different ways. Maybe your friends like to go out drinking on Friday nights, or to go to the movies, but if thats not fun for you, suggest different plans. Take charge of shaping your social environment. Some social people become exhausted by their desire to keep up with all their friends; some less-social people find it hard to get motivated to make plans at all. Think about what level and type of social activity brings you happiness, then make the effort to make it happen. 5. Be wary of false choices. Sometimes people say, I want to have a few close, real friends, not a bunch of superficial friends. But thats a false choice. There are all kinds of friends. I have intimate friends and casual friends. I have work friends whom I never see outside a professional context. I have childhood friends whom I see only once every ten years. I have several friends whose spouses Ive never met. I have online friends whom Ive never met face-to-face. These friendships arent all of equal importance to me, but they all add warmth and color to my life. 6. Make the effort to say This made me think of you. Were all busy, and keeping in touch can feel like a lot of work. One strategy that works for me is to write this made me think of you emails whenever I see something of interest to a friend. Congrats, I saw the piece about your book deal! I was in New Haven -- had a Greek salad at Yorkside and thought of senior year. You must read this review of New Moon(caution: explicit!). 7. Cut people slack. Except in the face of overwhelming evidence of bad intentions, try not to take it personally if a friend is late, cancels plans at the last minute, forgets about something important thats important to you, dont answer an email, says something thoughtless, etc. Thefundamental attribution error describes the fact that we tend to view other peoples actions as reflections of their characters, and to overlook the power of the situation to influence their action. Dont assume your friend is thoughtless and uncaring; maybe hes just overwhelmed by the demands of a new boss. This is particularly true if youre feeling lonely. Perhaps surprisingly, lonely people tend to be more defensive and judgmental than non-lonely people. 8. Dont expect friendship to happen spontaneously. As with many aspects of happiness, people often assume that friendship should flow easily and naturally, and that trying to "work" on it is forced and inauthentic. Sometimes friendships naturally arise, but sometimes they dont