Friendship 101

We irrespective of our caste - creed - belief (including all idiosyncrasies) are simple friendly human beings. Throughout our lifetime (still finite I am afraid!!) we keep on accumulating "friends" in all kind of shapes and sizes. Most prominent of them are

1. Childhood friends – Friends who are just kind of extensions of your childhood with whom you have shared food, bunked classes and partaken into all kind of adventures- some still unknown to the parents – thanks to these friends! You may be separated by geography – sometimes language and what not – but still these friends will talk to you – address you in the same way they used to do ages ago. You had literally stopped growing for this amiable folks.
2. Adolescent Friends – First statutory warning should be the fact that these were times when you were driven by hormones and whatever you did – you had to show your rebellious side. Else you are not part of the ADOLESCENT GANG. Some of your buddies in this category might even turn out to be your nemesis as well. But those had spent their raging teens plus 3 years of those exciting times along with you – had tolerated you and some had seen you butt naked. They may still be on your side with those visions haunting them.
3. Professional Friends – Well that phrase may sound like alliteration but generally you do tend to collect your share of messes as you mature as a professional. And these are your friends who had either helped you clean those “messes” up or may have ignored them altogether. Those who had used your messes against you – either you had gotten back to them till now or waiting to do that. We can discuss those hurtful souls when we discuss Enemy 101 topic.
4. Need-based friends – Well not to be confused with the adage “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. The adage has actually been taken from one of the morals listed in an old Aesop’s fable. The adage generally applies to all activities based on points 1, 2 and 3 above. Need-based friends are by definition that only. Being egregious people – during our adult lives we pick up a lot of acquaintances like as follows:

                                                              i.      People we had met / will meet in various social sites – community gatherings

                                                            ii.      People we HAD TO meet because of our kids e.g. parents of other kids

                                                          iii.      People who we have interactions based on a mutually symbiotic relationship (sometime parasitic without the knowledge of the host) e.g. your neighbors etc.

                                                          iv.       People with some motives where you can be either a part or target of that.

Generally these are the friends we mostly interact on a more frequent basis and sometimes too much exposure to these friends can be injurious to our mind. Another very important trait of these types of friends is that as the dealings are need based – the element of detachment leads to almost zero emotional quotient in this type of friendship. In a nut shell – you can always un-friend these friends any time you like and vice versa.

5. Kind Hearted – Good Natured people – Please remember that these are “universal friends” and cannot be part of any of the above category. When the God sent these people to touch your life you can really understand what being human feels like. These universal friends can be

                                                              i.      A simple elderly couple – who can provide with the best emotional support to you – right up there with the ones you have received from your own parents.

                                                            ii.      A quiet – non FB-ish pretty young couple who can give you the best of the gifts when you are least expecting the same.

                                                          iii.      A family shopping in a grocery shop walking up to you to say hello when you are least expecting the same and both your family and that family behaving like an extended family in matter of minutes.

                                                          iv.       People who has the capability to absorb your pain and become your agony aunt and uncle whenever you need them to be.

                                                            v.      People who in spite of their short comings strive harder to put that genuine smile on your face when you really need one.

These good people cannot be just termed as friends but they become your whole world and can replace all the other types of friendships especially the Need-based types. So when it’s time to count your blessings you generally will tend to count these Awesome Folks as part of that whole process.

I sincerely hope that my quick and dirty treatise on friendship leads to more real world and less virtual friends for the readers.

Caveat: All views and expressions are not just the Author’s leisurely piped visions. They may have some links to person still alive (and ready to throw a punch or two)