An ode to friendship!
What is friendship? Well, friendship is too broad a concept or relationship for a clear definition. In fact, it always remains better indefinite and even unfathomable. For all practical purposes, however, friendships are based on mutual liking, mutual respect, mutual love, and a whole limitless world of reciprocity. Some friends are made instantly, at the first exchange of mutual likings or online with the saying ‘love at first sight’ being replaced by ‘friendship at first sight’, while others take time to blossom into a perfect relationship. It is not necessary to have everything in common to be friends: friends can have diametrically opposite interests or even ideologies, passions or professions and yet be the best of friends. Of course, like marriages, friends are not made in heaven, technically they are only ‘made on planet earth’.
Although most friendships develop and flourish between school/college/university peers, children in a neighborhood, friends of friends, peers, and office colleagues, it can happen at any time with anyone at any stage of life. It is also totally free of the age factor, a 15-year-old boy can be the best friend of a 60-year-old or more. He is also free from all barriers of language, ethnicity, region, religion or culture. Contrary to patriarchal beliefs it is also gender free, a guy can have an equally unlimited friendship with a girl and vice versa. Therefore, if true friendship is the basis between boys and girls, then the terms ‘girlfriends’ or ‘boyfriends’ are misnomers.
Again, contrary to the common belief that family members cannot be friends, friendships can flourish even between grandchildren and grandparents; children and parents; between siblings and in-laws; and with anyone, with everyone. Indeed, friendship can add a refreshing dimension to such relationships. Therefore, people should not hesitate to send friend requests to their relatives and relatives on social media as well. Since the world is digitally becoming a closed and small place, there can also be friends regardless of the enormous geographical distances, with the ease of instant communication being the uniting factor. It’s basically the bond that drives the friendship vehicle seamlessly, both in reality and in virtual reality. However, a mere ‘friend’ on social media does not necessarily mean friendship.
Friendship provides the truest form of liberal democracy: you can talk, debate, or dispute anything under the sun with friends; a friend will never undermine you because of your weaknesses or limitations; friends also have the right to fight bitterly with each other and remain friends; selfish motives never penetrate a bond of friendship and if they do then it is not friendship; and absolutely nothing of the kind of competition or rivalry ever figures in a friendship. People often confuse between business relationships and friendships for such reasons; however, here too it is possible to forge friendship, if the ‘business’ part is dealt with and dispensed with diligently.
The beauty of friendship is that you don’t need to do any maintenance work to maintain it, which means you don’t need to visit your friends or call your friends or write/message your friends at regular intervals to prove that you are still friends. . They can be in the same city or thousands of miles apart and they can be disconnected for months, years or even decades and yet they can meet anytime, anywhere enjoying the untouched glory of their friendship as if nothing ever happened. . Therefore, observing ‘Friendship Day’ one or more times a year is by no means necessary to rekindle your friendships or to justify it by sending inspiring messages or shedding copious tears of remembrance. But of course, such occasions make you reflect, introspect and even write something about it, call it an ode or notes as you prefer.
Friendship is selfless, unlimited; friendship is forever. Perhaps the best gift of God given to humanity. Celebrate friendship in every moment of your life and be proud to have them by your side, always.