What is friendship? Have you ever heard of the phrase “a friend in need is a friend indeed?” Well, friendship is the state or quality of being friendly between two parties. Some says that friendship is a building contract which one signs with laughter and breaks with tears. Friends walk in and out of one’s life, but only true friends will leave their footprints in one’s heart. In the following paragraphs, we shall explore the different kinds of friendship that exist in the world and some of the positive and negative impacts that friends have on us.

What is false friendship? False friendship is the state of being friendly to one another in front of others, between two parties who hate each other in silence. This kind of friendship appears to be nice on the surface, but in fact it is not. For instance, two parties may hang out together with other people, and appears to be friendly to one another, but talk bad about each other, behind his or her back. This kind of friendship is pointless and meaningless to have, as everything good that the two parties does for each other is just an act. Moreover, hanging out with someone you detest will only make you hate that someone more. Personally, I believe that false friendship will not last long, and that there is not a need to act to be friendly to someone you dislike, in front of your friends just to gain popularity.

Another kind of friendship is basic friendship. This type of friendship exists between “hi-bye” friends. For instance, “hi-bye” friends do not communicate nor interact much. However, they will greet each other whenever they see one another. This type of friendship is the first stage of all friendships. In other words, it is the basic foundation of all friendships. It opens to all kinds of possible friendships between two parties in future. For example, if both parties are interested in knowing each other more, they will have a high chance of becoming closer friends in future. On the other hand, if one party is not interested and wants to maintain the distance between the two parties, the basic friendship will come to a standstill and will not be able to nurture into better friendships in future.

The friendship that exists between good friends or buddies is another kind of friendship. This kind of friendship may or may not last long as its foundation is not strong nor weak. A slight quarrel may topple the friendship and perhaps a little more interaction between the two parties may bring the friendship closer. Usually, good friends hang out with each other very often to either play or study, as they enjoyed each other’s company. However, their understanding of each other and the secrets they shared are limited.

The last type of friendship is the one that most of us desires. It is true friendship and it only comes once in a lifetime. It requires two parties to trust each other to a very large extent, as well as giving each other one’s utmost care and concern when the other party is troubled. It also requires one to sacrifice his or her precious time to try and understand more about the other party. True friendships also ask for the giving of one’s unconditional love and they have very strong foundations. True friendships come naturally and no acting is involved. A quarrel between true friends will not weaken their friendship, rather it will bring them closer together. True friends are usually highly sensitive to one another’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. They keep each other in their hearts and never give one another away. True friends share all secrets and their personal lives with each other. As seen from above, being a true friend of someone is hard indeed.

Well, so what are some of the positive impacts that friends have on us? Having a true friend is indeed an honor. When we are troubled, friends are there to cheer us up, to assist us through a difficulty, to provide us guidance and support, and to aid us physically, emotionally, or spiritually. There is a saying, “Friends are there to catch you when you fall.” I believe that this is true as I had experienced it before. Through the interactions and sharing of ideas between friends, we may learn something new, and grow. Friends may also let one to learn about the true meaning of living.

Some of the negative impacts that friends have on us is that they may instill in us wrong character values and destroy our good inner self. For instance, they may influence us to commit crimes such as shoplifting, getting into fights, and taking illegal drugs. They may also hurt us emotionally when they neglect us for other friends.

In conclusion, friends are like treasures. Sometimes they are in the form of diamonds, strong and brilliant. Other times they are in the form of fools gold, weak and full. Diamonds last forever while fools gold is fun to show off to others, but you know in your heart that it is not real. With each friendship, there is something to be gained. Only when you experience it yourself, then you will understand the true meaning of friendship. Friends will come and friends will go. Sometimes we have to reflect on how we are doing as a friend. Are you doing your part and being the best friend you can be? Or are you caught up in the expectations of the people you bring into your life?