Essay: Friendship

Introduction:

True friendship is the gift of God. The English poet has once said-

"Society, friendship and love

Divinely bestowed upon man".

So, friendship is divinely bestowed upon man. Since friendship is divine it should be cherished by every individual.

Usefulness:

Friendship is no doubt useful. Friends help in our difficulties. Friends save us in our dangers. Friends give us timely advice. Friends guide when we are perplexed. Friends wish good from the core of their hearts. We feel relieved when we tell our sorrow to a friend. A true friend is our asset. Friends share our sorrow and redouble our joy. When we are in pain and agony our friends soothe us. They console us.

False Friends:

We should guard ourselves against the false friends. Because some people pose to be our friends to meet their own interest. When their interest is met, they leave us. They sometimes betray us for their own interest. They never hesitate to sabotage. Such friends are more dangerous than enemies. Because they catch us by surprise.

Besides false friends, there is another class of friends called summer friends or fair-weather friends. They remain with us when we are rich and they leave us when we are wretched. They share our fortune but not our sorrow. So, we should not depend on their friendship with us. The summer friends behave like summer birds, the summer birds come when we have summer. They fly away when the summer moves away. The summer friends, however, are not so dangerous as the false friends.

Choice of friends:

We will have to make the right choice of friends. Otherwise in the course of life we will find some friends who will desert us in our misfortune. Some friends will also turn enemies for us. Some friends will be used against us by our enemies. So, it is not easy to make a choice of friends. It warrants our conscience, consideration, induction and foresight. For choosing a friend, we must have a deep insight into the human character. We should remember the golden saying. "A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Conclusion:

Friendship is noble. Friendship is divine. A true friend is really a gift of God. There are instances of men sacrificing their lives for their friends. So, everyone should know how to choose a friend and how to honour friendship. If we wish that our friends should be true to us, then we must be true to our friends.