About friendship

Everyone has a number of acquaintances, but no one has many friend, for true friendship is not common, and there are many people who seem to be incapable of it. For a friendship to be close and lasting, both the friends must have some very special qualities.

The first quality is unselfish. A person who is concerned only with his own interests and feeling cannot be a true friend. Friendship is a two-sided affair; it lives by give-and-take, and no friendship can last long which is all give on one side and all take on the other.

Constancy is the second quality, Some people do not seem to be constant. They take up an interest with enthusiasm, but they are soon tired of it and feel the attraction of some new object . Such changeable and uncertain people are incapable of a lifelong friendship.

Loyalty is the third quality. Two friend must be loyal to each other, and they must know each other so well that there can be no suspicious between them. We do not think much of people who readily believe rumours and gossip about their friends. Those who are easily influenced by rumour can never be good friends.

Trust is perhaps the fourth quality. There must be mutual trust between friend, so that each can feel safe when telling the other his or her secret. There are people who cannot keep a secret, either of their own or of other’. Such people will never keep a friend long.

Lastly, there must be a perfect sympathy between friend – sympathy with other’s aim, likes, joys, sorrows, pursuits and plessures. Where such mutual sympathy does not exist, friend ship is impossible.