Friendship... Concepts and Forms: Which Type Do You Prefer?
Friendship is the highest form of human relationship, a profound bond that transcends personal interests, measured by the sincerity of positions, mutual trust, and sacrifice; it is not bound by time. It is born, grows, and overcomes barriers and obstacles. It is a brotherhood, love, and giving without expectation. Its ties strengthen and its threads weave tighter through shared experiences, crises, and hardships.
One of the virtues of friendship is that it helps reduce feelings of loneliness, increases happiness, and provides strength and confidence to face difficulties. Humans are social beings by nature and cannot live alone, no matter how hard they try. However, in this era, concepts and circumstances have changed, and various types and notions of friendship have emerged.
In ancient times, Aristotle categorized friendship into three types: friendship of utility, friendship of pleasure, and friendship of virtue. He placed friendship of virtue at the forefront because it is based on respect, the enhancement of virtues, the desire for cooperation and action, offering assistance, and elevating intrinsic goodness. In contrast, friendships of utility and pleasure are fragile, quickly fading and dissipating.
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Acquiring telescopes and astronomical equipment
Following political analyses and news
True friendship requires maintaining intimacy and companionship, and it consumes a significant amount of time, effort, and money. However, I will not hide from you that losing a friend is a tragedy, leading to the failure of the relationship.
We are speaking here about realistic, natural friendship. But what about friendship in our technological age—internet friendships and those formed through communication and social media platforms? These are less costly and lighter in burden. You can transform natural friendship into an online friendship, making it virtual.
Such friendships are based on entertainment, exchanging pleasure, utility, sharing news, and chatting. To be honest, unfortunately, the law of pleasure and benefit has become dominant in social media friendships. They are increasingly used for commercial, marketing, entertainment, and gaming purposes, and even for practicing virtual relationships.
Friendship is not limited to liking, exchanging compliments, or playing shared games remotely. True friends are those who rush to help when you need them, who keep your secrets, and who become the object of your trust. The word “friendship” is derived from “truthfulness” (sidq). If it is built on truthfulness, it is indeed friendship, and it will not disappear regardless of the circumstances.
$ A Syrian writer
