I will do a few callings later to a few of my good friends. I felt that because of work, I have neglected them tremendously. Thus, I shall give them a call later.
I've finally let off some loads off my shoulder. I'm not that preoccupied anymore. Okay, maybe not. I will be busy from tomorrow till Sunday. I will be involved in a event. I'll keep ya all posted.
You choose your friends, not your family - and for many today, the former have become the most important people in their lives. But are you sure your friends really like you as much as you like them?
Does it matter that we can distinguish between deep friendships and transient or superficial ones? Talking to a wide range of people, it was clear that few of them are really happy with the friendships they have.
Many of them feel privately wistful about the lack of depth, or in tensity, or number of their relationships. People with consuming jobs are sad that they haven't had the time to build stronger bonds, and wonder whether it's too late to develop them.
Many people would like to have more friends, or deeper, warmer, more reliable relationships than the ones they have now, but don't know how to go about it.
There are powerful reasons why we should create these bonds, even if we only start when we are older. We have more time available, and fewer familial responsibilities. We all want to feel needed and valued by others. It is possible for friends to fill that need, but only if we work at it.
It isn't easy, because friendship is a subtle dance, and no one wants to be explicitly pursued when it's unwelcome, or explicitly dropped when they are not wanted. Nor does it come with any guarantees.
I've finally let off some loads off my shoulder. I'm not that preoccupied anymore. Okay, maybe not. I will be busy from tomorrow till Sunday. I will be involved in a event. I'll keep ya all posted.
You choose your friends, not your family - and for many today, the former have become the most important people in their lives. But are you sure your friends really like you as much as you like them?
Does it matter that we can distinguish between deep friendships and transient or superficial ones? Talking to a wide range of people, it was clear that few of them are really happy with the friendships they have.
Many of them feel privately wistful about the lack of depth, or in tensity, or number of their relationships. People with consuming jobs are sad that they haven't had the time to build stronger bonds, and wonder whether it's too late to develop them.
Many people would like to have more friends, or deeper, warmer, more reliable relationships than the ones they have now, but don't know how to go about it.
There are powerful reasons why we should create these bonds, even if we only start when we are older. We have more time available, and fewer familial responsibilities. We all want to feel needed and valued by others. It is possible for friends to fill that need, but only if we work at it.
It isn't easy, because friendship is a subtle dance, and no one wants to be explicitly pursued when it's unwelcome, or explicitly dropped when they are not wanted. Nor does it come with any guarantees.
People are unpredictable. But we need to play the game of friendship. Evidence shows that people with close friends live longer and are happier than those without. And friendship defines what it means to be human.
"Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one's life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship. Eating or drinking without a friend is the life of a lion or a wolf."
