Illustration, Writing Assignment 9-A
A True Friend
No man is an island, the popular adage claims. Indeed, it can be said that every single human being needs at least one friend after all, we are social beings. We establish friendship and create friends at different points in our lives, from early, middle to later years. We establish some kind of bond with some individuals and in the process develop a deep connection which enables the friendship to last for a long time. In other times, we simply lose connection with individuals whom we considered friends causing the relationship to end.
Individuals’ requirements of a true friend vary, making it difficult to have a single definition of what a true friend really means. Personally, I have a criteria when considering someone as a true friend. A true friend has the best of my interest. My true friend has to be committed to my happiness before our friendship and I’d like to think that I am the same for my friends. True friends will tell you everything, positive or negative, and will not stop from saying something or giving advice even if you don’t want to hear it. They will not hesitate to let you know when you are wrong and will stand by you when you are right. Because it is your best interest that is at their hearts, true friends will even risk rupturing your friendship as long as they can guarantee your well being.
A true friend is a good influence. Those who I regard as true friends inspire me to be the best I can and encourage me to always do better, however, when the going gets tough, they don’t leave me. Instead, they push me more to achieve what I wanted to achieve in the first place. I consider myself lucky as all of my friends have been good influences and I try to be a good influence to all of my friends as well. My truest friends encourage me to live up to my best potential and continue to offer support when I am struggling to achieve my goals. And when I experience challenging times or failure, they always make sure that they give the right support I need to be able to stand up again and continue life.
Finally, I can describe someone as a true friend if the individual respects all the principles I have and would not do anything to compromise those principles for the sake of our friendship. I strongly believe that one should maintain his or her personality and principles no matter what and true friends should not use friendship as a way of a bargaining tool when it comes to settling a particular controversial issue. Those who I consider my true friends understand and respect my individuality and main beliefs and they have never ever used our friendship to question my principles.
There are many instances in our lives where we are able to find friends and keep them as true friends. For those of us who already have found them, we must try our best to keep them, as it is not that easy to find someone who understands you and who can connect with you in a deeper level. We must remember though that having a true friendship works both ways, in the sense that if you want to find and keep a true friend, you must be one yourself. My criteria for a true friend also apply to myself because I believe that my true friends are very much like me, not mainly physically but perhaps, emotionally and mentally. Once you’ve established a deep bond with someone, you’d find that you have a lot of similarities as well as differences and that’s what makes your friendship grow stronger. More importantly, as true friends we grow with another, not apart, and through the challenges and difficulties we experience, we get better every day.
