Sharing the Human Experience Through Friendship

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become and still, gently allows you to grow.”- William Shakespeare. Many of us take our friendships for granted. On the other hand, there are those among us who have a difficult time forming friendships, not because of selfishness but due to our personality type. Regardless, of where we find ourselves on the friendship spectrum, having friends is important for our overall wellbeing. We were not created to live lives of solitude. Life is already challenging; to navigate this journey true friends are needed. A real friend is one who will not shy away from telling you the truth even if it hurts. A friend who is really connected to our state of being is one who is discerning and knows when something is amiss with us. True friendship is oftentimes like a rare gem. Having a friend does not mean we are not cognizant that we respect the importance of each person’s private moments. True friendship means having that safe space where we can unapologetically share our thoughts in a protected haven. As we age we tend to appreciate and value our friends more. For many individuals, a small cohort of friends is adequate, while for others the opposite might be more desirous. Many friendships formed during our adolescent years tend to survive the stresses of life. True friendships endure time and distance. We live in a world with many challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic placed an enormous strain on friendships globally. The pandemic highlighted how important having good friends can be in times of crisis and distress. There are multiple forces of division in our world; these are along the lines of poverty, violence, and human rights abuses among many others that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world's peoples. According to the United Nations to confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms the simplest of which is friendship. Through friendship by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good. The International Day of Friendship is observed on July 30 each year. The day was proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity. To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation. The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defining the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems. It was then adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997. Sharing the Human Experience Through Friendship. The challenges of life become more bearable with true friends. A friendship is a close association between two people marked by feelings of care, respect, admiration, concern, or even love. Good friendships are based on mutual respect, honesty, and support. Friendship occurs at the various stages of our lives and development. It is always a good feeling to share one’s successes with friends. It is also comforting to know that in those moments of sorrow and grief that our friends will be there. Being present at the right time is a good measure of friendship. The root of true friendship is the spirit of reciprocity. The friendship trains run both ways. As human beings, we are driven toward social interactions. How much interaction we crave can be impacted by our personality, or whether we consider ourselves introverted or extroverted. Introverts tend to enjoy and thrive on spending time alone or with small groups of people. They may be satisfied with one or two close friends. On the other hand extroverts enjoy and seek out social interaction and are generally outgoing and adventurous; they live for the moment. They may list a multitude of people they consider close friends. There are those persons who are opportunists and they present themselves in our lives for what they think they can get; be wise and keep them at a distance. On this friendship day, let us all engage in some self-reflection. Let us use this Day to share our humanity through genuine friendship. We should be mindful that we must present ourselves as a true friend in order to attract true friendship. We must choose our friends wisely and nurture those friendships. Cherish your friendships and be open to form new ones. Happy Friendship Day! In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #friendshipday