Firmest Friendship

There are over six billion people on Earth today. Each of those people has countless relationships, which extend further into an immense network of relations among thousands of individuals. These relations can be romantic, professional, unconditional, mutual, or the strongest of all, friendship. Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more beings. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism.

Friendship, according to Aristotle there are 3 definitions of friendship. Friendship of Utility, “thus friends whose affection is based on utility do not love each other in themselves, but in so far as some benefit accrues to them from each other.” Friendship of Pleasure, “And similarly with those whose friendship is based on pleasure: for instance, we enjoy the society of witty people not because of what they are in themselves, but because they are agreeable to us.” Friendship of the Good. “The perfect form of friendship is that between the good, and those who resemble each other in virtue. For these friends wish each alike the other’s good in respect of their goodness, and they are good in themselves; but it is those who wish the good of their friends for their friends’ sake who are friends in the fullest sense, since they love each other for themselves and not accidentally. Hence the

Friendships are an essential part of human’s social development. The quality and amount of friends an individual has can impact an their growth. Friends fulfill a majority of different needs that when met can have positive responses.

Achilles also had a companion that had a very big impact on his life. Achilles met his companion at the house of Peleus, his name was Patroclus, which is by far different from how Enkidu was sent from heaven to be Gilgamesh’s foe. With not thinking of how they met this friendship between Achilles and Patroclus was carried into the Trojan War, just as the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was carried through their epic journey’s to defeat Humbaba, and the Bull of Heaven.

The True Man must recognize who his real friends are. In order to do so, one must differentiate between the three types of philia love: “what is useful, what is pleasurable, and what is virtuous” (Aristotle). Unfortunately, “those who love one another because it is useful do not love one another because of who they are, but because of some good thing that comes to them from one another” (Aristotle). Today, it’s quite rare, at least in this community, to see virtuous friendships. The “what is useful” situation tends to occur primarily in teenagers. Someone may hang out with someone else only because their house is big, or they have season tickets for the Warriors.

"Life without a friend is like death without a witness." -Spanish Proverb. We all have friends, different people have different tastes and temperaments and hence make different types of friends. They tend to bond with some and stay away from some. With time and growing trust, some people get really close to each other and remain true friends. They stand up for each other in times of need and provide full support when you lose confidence in yourself. However, every friend is not the same type. One might have more close friends than acquiantenaces, while others might have more acquaintenaces than close friends, but either way, majority of people that develop great friendships either   fall into one of the

In The Iliad one sees the character of Patroclus take upon a significant role as the poem progresses. Patroclus, the cousin and best friend of Achilles significance does not come from what he does or doesn’t accomplish on the battlefield, but comes from his significance to the Great fighter Achilles. Patroclus’s primary role and function in this poem up until his death is the partial fulfillment of Achilles fate and the reason Achilles decides to return to battle.

As a child, there was a plaque on my father’s den wall that I would read everyday. It read, “A friend is someone who knows all about, and loves you anyway.” I did not understand what it meant. I though it was a cynical quote against friendship, being my father was the sarcastic type. As an adult, I have to admit secret apologies to my dad, because now I understand the concept and meaning, and hold it to be true in my heart of what friendship is about. Being an evolving emotion, friendship enters and flees life, faster than the speed of light. You will never know when you might meet a true friend, and cannot fathom the day that you will part company with one.

Aristotle argues that it is possible to be friends with someone but not have a true friendship with them. Examining this, the reader grows to understand that there are, in fact, three types of friends that one can have. In the order that Aristotle discusses, there are friendships based on usefulness, friendships based on pleasure, and friendship based on the good of the other. Though the first two types or more readily come by, it is in this perfect friendship that the experience of humanity is elevated to a greater purpose, allowing both parties to grow in unity and grow closer to that which is truly good.

"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island...to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing"-Baltasar Gracian. Let's admit it, life is an everlasting adventure filled with moments of happiness and sorrow. So why are friends such a crucial piece of the journey of life? Are people placed in our lives for a particular purpose? Are friends silent guardians that we are meant to look up to or look after? These are the questions that we as human beings ponder when significant moments engulf us. Challenges are placed in front of us in order to test our true grit: determination and courage to solve problems. However, true friendships come from people who hide behind the shadows and discover who we really are as humans. Then, once friends show their true colors, it is only then that they help us understand how precious life truly is...

The term friendship is perhaps the most common term in the conversation of every individual, but there would be hardly few individuals who have ever tried to think how and under what circumstances this term was originated. Similarly, people seldom think about the meaning of this commonly used term. It is really difficult to find somebody who can define what a real friend is. These facts make friendship an excessively vibrant relationship and perhaps it is its most valuable beauty.

Friendships can be very different from one another but they all have recognizable characteristics. Floyd (2011) defines these characteristics of friendship as voluntary, between peers, governed by rules, differ by sex, and have a lifespan. People become friends with one another out of choice,

Ask anyone what friendship is and you’re sure to get different answers. Some may claim that the quality of any friendship depends on how long you have known each other; others may advocate that it has something to do with what the other person has done for them in the years that they have known each other. If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought friendship meant, I probably would have given you a definition similar to the ones that I mentioned. However, I have come to realize that friendship is about much more than general statements and ambiguous implications. It is about something deep, something rooted within everyone.

Friendship is a valuable relationship that any person can create by themselves. Even though it is not as important as a genetic relationship like that family it is still as import. Friendship is an important value in everyday life, because having friends teaches us how to forgive, laugh, and trust one another. We do not make friends because of how useful they are. And when that relationship grows, it has a variety of benefits. There are certain events that can only be shared with our closest friends. When we are facing tough situations in our lives, friends come forward to help us overcome these difficulties.

Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people. Friendship is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an acquaintanceship. Friendship has been studied in academic fields such as sociology, social, anthropology, and philosophy. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.