Ode to friendship!
What is friendship? Well, friendship is too broad a concept or relationship to clearly define. In fact, it always remains better undefined and even inscrutable. For practical purposes, however, friendships are based on mutual liking, mutual respect, mutual love, and a whole limitless world of reciprocity. Some friends are created instantly, at the first exchange of mutual likes or according to that saying “love at first sight” is replaced by “friendship at first sight”, while others take time to grow into a perfect relationship. You don’t have to have everything in common to be friends: friends can have diametrically opposed interests or even ideologies, passions or professions and still be the best of friends. Note that like marriages, friends are not made in heaven, they are technically “made on planet earth” only.
Although friendships mostly develop and blossom among school/college/university classmates, neighborhood kids, friends of friends, peers and office colleagues, it can happen at any time to anyone at any stage of life. It is also completely exempt from the age factor, a 15-year-old can be best friends with a 60-year-old or older. It is also free from any language, ethnic, regional, religious or cultural barriers. Contrary to patriarchal beliefs, it is also gender free, a boy can have equally unlimited friendship with a girl and vice versa. Therefore, if true friendship is the basis between boys and girls, then the terms “girlfriends” or “boyfriends” are misnomers.
Again, contrary to the common belief that family members cannot be friends, friendship can blossom even between grandchildren and grandparents; children and parents; between siblings and in-laws; and with everyone, everyone. Friendship can actually add a refreshing dimension to such relationships. Therefore, people should not hesitate to send friend requests to their families and relatives on social media as well. As the world becomes a closed and small place digitally, there can also be friends across vast geographical distances, with the ability to communicate instantly being the bonding factor. In essence, it is the relationship that drives the vehicle of friendship seamlessly, both in reality and in virtual reality. However, just being a “friend” on social media doesn’t necessarily mean friendship.
Friendship provides the truest form of liberal democracy: you can talk, discuss or argue about anything under the sun with friends; a friend will never undermine you for your weaknesses or limitations; friends also have the right to quarrel bitterly with each other and still remain friends; selfish motives never penetrate the friendship relationship, and if it does, then it is not friendship; and absolutely nothing of the kind of competition or rivalry ever figures in a friendship. People often confuse business relationships with friendships for such reasons; However, it is possible to forge a friendship here as well, if the “business” part is considered and removed diligently.
The beauty of friendship is that you don’t need to do any maintenance at all to keep it going, meaning you don’t need to visit your friends or call your friends or text/text your friends at regular intervals to show that you are still friends. You may be in the same city or thousands of kilometers apart and may not be in touch for months, years or even decades, yet you can be reunited anytime, anywhere basking in the undiminished glory of your friendship , as if nothing had happened. Therefore, celebrating ‘Friendship Day’ once or more times a year is not at all necessary to rekindle your friendships or justify it by sending inspirational messages or shedding profuse tears in remembrance. But of course, such occasions make you think, look into yourself and even write something about it, call it an ode or notes, as you prefer.
Friendship is selfless, boundless; friendship is forever. Perhaps the best gift from God ever given to mankind. Celebrate friendship every moment of your life and be proud to have it by your side, always.
#Ode #friendship