Friendship is everlasting...

        Friendship is one of the everlasting relationships in this world. Rather, it is the only eternal relationship apart form blood-ties. There may be biggest miracle which can change the entire world but even in that miracle friendship will come out from its slumber.                     
      
Friendship is like a banyan tree

The seed of Banyan tree is very small, but when it sprouts out of the earth nothing can stop its growth. The same applies to friendship. Friendship will reside in our heart like the seed of banyan tree. When it finds the correct soil in another heart it starts its growth. At one stage when you get more friendly with that person, friendship starts growing, it will become a tree after which nothing in this world can hinder its growth come what may.

Friendship is courage...

        Friendship, it is the source of our brave hearts. When we don't have any friends we don’t dare to come out when there is a trouble. But if we have friends, we never sit idle when our friend is in problem. We may not be brave but friendship gives courage to our mind and body. Friends will save us from any kind of grave situation. They will always lend a hand when there is a desperate need for help.

The historical episodes

As early as in ancient Indian history, the epic ‘Mahabharata’ epitomized true friendship when Lord Krishna helped his school friend, Kuselan after many years of school life and gifted him and his family with wealth.

Jesus placed great value on relationships. His teachings were filled with practical suggestions on how to befriend people and how to relate to friends. He introduced a new commandment “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). These words are now almost 2000years old, but their concurrence in today’s world is demonstrated by a recent study. The research reveals that lonely people live significantly shorter lives than the general population. It demonstrates the unhealthy aspects of isolation and the magical powers of human contact. Studies at the Carnegie Institute of Technology reveal that even in such fields as engineering, only about 15%of one’s financial success is due to one’s technical knowledge and about 85%is due to one’s skill in human engineering – personality and the ability to lead people.

If we require further proof that we can learn to love and be loved, we can have a look at the life of Benjamin Franklin. His answers would give a slap for everyone whose opinion differed with his. But, he was wise enough to realize that he was headed for failure and social disaster. By applying himself to the laws of friendship, he turned himself completely different. These lines are borrowed from the book “The Friendship Factor” written by Alan Loy McGinnis, ISBN 0-8066-1711-X.

In the book, Dr. Stephen Johnson suggests asking one’s self the following questions about relationships:

• Do you have at least one person nearby whom you can call on in times of personal distress?
• Do you have several people whom you can visit with little advance warning without apology?
• Do you have several people with whom you can share recreational activities?