Talk about Friendship

Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet - About Friendship

Talk about Friendship

And a teenager dare: "Talk about Friendship."
And he said,
"Friend - is the answer given to our needs.
It is the field that you sow with love
And rejoice in gratitude.
He is your home and your table,
Because to him you come, like the Flamants,
Looking for an oasis of peace.
When your boyfriend discovers your thought, you will not bow to the "no" of your self
Nor do you refuse that "yes" expected,
And when he is shut up in him, your heart does not cease to hear his heart;
Because in friendship, all thoughts, all desires,
All expectations are born in silence and share in a joyous move.
Do not be sad when you are separated from your friend;
Because everything you cherish most to him can be
More clear in their absence, as for the mountaineer
The mountain appears most clearly seen from the far field;
And you find no other goal in friendship than deepening in spirit.
Because love looking for something other than
The revelation of your own mystery is no longer love,
But it's like a net in which, being thrown away, only what's superfluous falls.
Everything you have the best in yourself for your friend to be;
If he needs to know the reflux of your tide,
Then also know the flow;
And what's your good friend if you just look for the waste of time?
Always seek it to truly live your moments,
For its purpose is to fill your needs, but not the void of you,
And in the enjoyment of friendship, the laughter and the shared joys,
Because in the dew of things
The heart finds out in the morning and in the freshness. "

Let me sleep! Do not cover me with tears, do not talk so sadly about my departure. Close your eyes and you will see me now and forever.

Famous quote from Khalil Gibran

Friendship is a catalyst for love and foundation in any healthy relationship. God created us to need each other. If in marriage the two have each other as an intimate friend and companion of life, single people generally have a circle of friends who fulfill this role. For example, someone can provide you with soul support, someone else is very fun and you meet for it, and with someone else you can manifest your spiritual or cultural preoccupations.

And yet, although friendship is such an important relationship, we often do not think about what kind of friends we want. We rarely ask ourselves whether the friends we have are of any use in our lives. The Savior says to love the neighbor as our own. But unfortunately, many of us believe that "loving your neighbor" means automatically considering him a friend and, most of all, often, never telling him "no." But this verse does not teach this. The relationship of friendship is always a choice - one that demands wisdom and a serious approach. But before deciding whether someone will or will not be part of the circle of friends, we need to know what kind of people can or can not be included in our circle of friends. We need to know what kind of friendship we want. And here, let's ask a few questions: If I could have a friendship that would be what I ever wanted, what would that look like? What things do I want to talk about normally? How often are meetings? What activities do we do in common? And perhaps most importantly, how would this ideal friendship change me?

What do you know about your friends?

Spend some time meditating on this friendship you want to have. Remember, it's not about a person, it's about a kind of relationship. The next step will be harder, but it's very important. Make a list of people in your circle of friends. Not those you see from time to time, but only those close to you, with whom you can share your most intimate problems. Then, one by one, assesses whether they fit that description. Which aspects of friendship are going well? Which side do not fit? Is there any person with whom friendship is actually the opposite of what you want or want?

Surely, no friendship is perfect and there will always be a better place. But this simple exploration can be an important step in recognizing those friends who not only do not help you on the path but are really toxic to your soul. Once you've completed this review, you can choose to three choices:

The first is to accept friendship as it is. In general, this option only applies to those relationships that are completely satisfactory. If you have such friends, thank God for the blessing you have and share and enjoy this joy.

Freedom, one of the keys to friendship

Then another option would be to renegotiate the relationship. Tell your friend what goes wrong and what does not work. And to show him what a certain change of situation would be. It is important, however, to avoid blame. After all, you both created the relationship you have now. Also, decide what you will do if your friend refuses to change those things.

One of the keys to friendship is freedom. Through this freedom, friendship becomes deeper and the relationship grows healthier. Healthy friendships are relationships in which each person gives the other space to grow and change. Instead of possessing the other, a true friend encourages him on his way. Khalil Gibran captures this need for space: "Stay together, but not too close together, for the temple pillars are remote from one another, and the oak and the cypress do not grow in the shadow of the other."

When a person changes, of course, the relationship will also change. True friends, however, know that friendship can cope with change, and if that is not the case, it is likely that the relationship would have been built on an unhealthy foundation from the beginning. Without the freedom of change and growth, friendship can be aggravated by jealousy, which can even ruin many friends, because jealousy feeds with unrealistic expectations and is the result of charging a relationship with emotional needs that only God can do.

"The bad crowds spoil good habits"

And so we come to the third option, which would be to end the friendship. Though it looks a bit tough, sometimes it's the healthiest and most loving way you can approach someone who constantly and effectively pulls you down and takes you out of God's will for you.

Close friendship deeply influences us as a person and in what we will become over the years. The Apostle Paul also tells us, through the Epistle to the Corinthians, that we will not be deceived, for "the evil companions corrupt the good habits. Wake up right and do not sin." And St. John Chrysostom says: "If one's friendship is harming you, then it removes that friendship from you, for if we often cut some of our members when they can not heal, and when they become ill, The more we must do this when it comes to the health of our soul! " Here's another reason why we need to choose our friends carefully and not be afraid to say "no."