You may have many friends but real friends are hard to find. Real friends are people who accept you for who you are and support you in whatever you do. In your lifetime you should have about three real friends. From your real friends you learn different ways of thinking and living.
You learn more from your friends than you do from your parents. Things you hear the technical version of, your friends would break it down in a way that only you and them will understand. You view and get involved in different traditions that you would normally dismiss. In Friendship Matters: Communication, Dialectics, and Life Course William K. Rawlins states,”People learn how to see matters from their friends’ and societies perspective as well as their own.”(25) Your real friends help you to grow into the person they know you could be.
Your real friends should offer you constructive criticism and you try to accept it. You should know they are only looking out for you. In Graham Allen’s book Friendship: Developing a Sociological Perspective states, “The solidarity that exists between friends is not based solely on sociability and enjoyment, but entails a willingness to provide emotional and practical support as need arises, without heed to self-interest.”(104) My friends and I try our best to keep each other on point. We give each other the encouragement or criticism needed to help each other at the particular moment.
Your real friends encourage, support, and guide you. They help you to maintain yourself. Whatever drama or celebration you go through your friends should be there with you. Use good judgment when picking your real friends. Real friends are like diamonds precious and rare, Enemies are like leaves found everywhere.
