What is a Friend?.......

There has been much talk around here lately concerning what constitutes friendship.  Depending upon how one defines it, friendship can be very easy to attain or very difficult.

What really is a friend?  Are there different types of friendship?  Why do friendships seem to come and go?  Why are lifetime friendships so rare?  When a trusted friend disappoints us or betrays our trust, is that person still a trusted friend?

Other than God's love, or maybe the love of a pet dog, is there such a thing as "unconditional love"?  I mean, Cindy says she loves me unconditionally.......but, if I repeatedly lie to her, cheat on her and dishonor her, I don't think that statement applies any more.

What IS a friend?

Another Friendship Issue......

I got some really good comments on yesterday's post concerning friendship.  Several commenters raised some thought provoking questions, and that got me to thinking last night about an enormous issue that is going on right (literally) below our noses.

We all know there is a revolution continuing in our world, and it grows every day in every country---electronic communications.

Up until only about 20 years ago, people the world over socialized and made friends and sustained friendships the same way they had done it since human beings first roamed the earth---they met each other in person, conversed in person or by telephone and sustained their friendship by actually knowing one another by having a face-to-face relationship.

Today, that age-old method of creating and sustaining friendships is changing, whether we like it or not.

Today, our children "meet" other people on the computer or on their cell phones.  They "converse" by texting or E-Mailing.  They will tell you that most of their "friends" are people they have never met---and may never meet.

Even we adults are creating relationships on Facebook, MySpace and Blogger with folks we have never met.  This is a huge revolution in social interraction.  In another 20 years, I cannot even imagine how we will define "friend" or "friendship".

Questions:

---Is a follower on Blogger---someone you probably will never meet---a true friend?  In 20 years, do you think your answer will be different than it is today?

---Sociologists say that children of today are losing the ability to relate in a face-to-face manner.  What kind of world is this creating?

---Do you have any strictly on-line relationships that you would classify as "friendship"?

Friends......

Friends Sharing Special Moments at Home

Friendship:  The supportive relationship between people.  The term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service in times of need.

Why Do Some Friendships Not Stand the Test of Time?

A friend is:

---Someone who will support you unconditionally

---Someone you can trust, and who will not be judgemental

---Someone who will not deliberately hurt your feelings

---Someone whose company you enjoy

---Someone who stands by you in tough situations

---Someone  who accepts you for what you are

Some Friends Last a Lifetime

Questions:

---Why can it be so hard to get and maintain friendships?

---Do we even need friends in our lives?

---Are there different kinds of friends?

---Why do friends sometimes "come and go" in our lives?