A friend indeed....!!!

"A friend in need is a friend indeed." Ever heard this saying, and what do you think of it? It makes friendship sound like a parasitic relationship, doesn’t it? I mean, does it mean if I don’t need anything from you then I cannot be a real friend to you, is that really how our friendships are structured, are we in it only for what we can get or because we are needy ? Well, as I was thinking on this profound phrase, I came across a few other interesting quotes on friendship: Aristotle said “ What is a friend,? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” And C S Lewis said “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” And better yet Shel Silverstein said “ How many slams in an old screen door, depends on how loud you shut it, and how many slices in a loaf of bread, depends on how thin you cut it. How much good in each day depends on how good you live each day, and how much love inside a friend depends on how much you give them.” Looking at these quotes it became clear to me that we all are friends with the people we are friends with because of what we get from them. Now you may say that is not the case with you, but I challenge you to look deeper into the reasons you are friends with your friends, you may be surprised what you find. Friends fulfill a need in our lives and therefore it means you need them, and vise-versa. So friendship is all about needing each other, hence the expression. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I’m sure if you didn’t need anything from your friend the friendship would die a natural death. Take for example the friendships you had when you were growing up, some of the friends you had were for being naughty with, some for sharing school stuff like studying and projects etc, just to mention a few. It was all because you needed something different from each and each fulfilled a different need in you, in return they were also getting something they need from you at those times. This is because friendship is a give and take kind of thing, as I’m sure it still is with your friendships today. You are like two souls in one body, and the friendship is nurtured by what each part can give, so its depth depends on the involved parties’ contributions. You find that when the need is gone, or if one part is no longer giving anything the friendship might also take a knock, unless you find something else to keep the wheels turning. Without doubt a friend in need is a friend indeed, and friendship is a symbiotic relationship, which is mutually beneficial to both parties involved. In a friendship there is a kinship that is born out of our mutual need for each other.I would love to hear what you think, how do you think your friendships are made, and any other interesting thoughts you may have on this topic of friendship. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom.