So there’s a doubt
going through my mind.
I remember hearing an
anecdote once of a loving Father who went to comfort his daughter who had woken
up from a nightmare. Hugging his little one, he affectionately consoled her: “Don’t
worry, honey, it’s okay. I’ll always be there for you.”
He came back
downstairs where his friend was waiting and related the occurrence. His friend
logically, truthfully, though maybe a little coldly replied: “Well, that’s not
true. You’re not always going to be there for her.”
That’s a nice thing
to want to tell a loved one, a friend. But can one make such a promise?
When I think of
poems, ideas or songs about friendships some of the most reoccurring ideas are:
“I will be there for you”, “a friend is a friend forever”. Try this video clip.
Bring back memories?
The songs are nice,
the poems are moving, this scene is touching. But the doubt is: can friends
really be friends forever? Does friendship only work for a certain period of
time?
In a song, Michael W.
Smith claims “a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends”. So, Mike, does
that always work? What’s the recipe? What about in this fast-paced world where
we are constantly on the move, and it is not uncommon that we end of living in
other towns, states, or countries. Will we still be friends?
Listen to this
comment on YouTube about the above mentioned video: “This
whole movie is sad because it displays an important message about growing up,
one that mostly everyone goes through. It’s about the best friend you make as a
child, the one that makes you say that you'll be friends forever. As you grow
up you may come to realize that you can never be friends, because you'll belong
in different worlds, ones that can't include each other. You'll each go down
different paths in life, ones that'll never let you see them again.”
I live
a couple of thousand miles away from where I grew up. I have changed countries
4 times in the last 4 years. I have met a whole slew of people in that time.
Will I stay friends with the people I have met? How long?
So
those who say no, tell us: why can friendship not last in spite of long
distance and scarce contact? And those who say yes, what is the condition sine
qua non friendship will last over a long period of time?
And if
someone says, it doesn’t matter, friendship doesn’t have to last, we’d like to
hear that too.
Your comments, please!
By David Yep
Your comments, please!
By David Yep
True friendship is an intangible thing, but it has such substance! Friendships live in our minds and hearts, it's energy that flows back and forth from one to the other. We forge many kinds of friendships over our lives, some closer than others. For me it all about relating to that person to your friend, sharing finding some common ground, it's about empathy, about love & care, finding the funny at times and being in a place that only you and your friend know the destination to, so yes I think we can be friends forever, there is no distance, there is no time, if you give yours and I share mine, for you with me, it's total interaction. If fed and watered regularly it can last beyond this life and far into the next. Many kind blessing to all x
ReplyDeleteSt. Francis de Sales, in his famous book "Intro. to the Devout Life" Says concerning friendships NOT based on love, but only on mere gratification:
ReplyDelete"Friendships based on personal appearance, dress, fashion and idle conversation are fit only for the age when virtue and judgement are as yet unformed and in the bud; accordingly such friendships are but of passing duration, and melt away like snow before the sun."