Friendship

Recently, a series of this "Love and Friendship" articles in "Mind Your Body" caught my attention. These couple of weeks, the columnist wrote about friendship - Utility, Pleasure and Perfect Friendships.

Interesting! Isn't it. Each comes with varying degree of 'values'. By the name, Utility friendship is certainly the lowest level, however, it's also the most common - be it in the classroom or at work. Each and everyone is dependent on each other. There is no solo entity. Of course, from another perspective, it's a matter of complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses.

As of pleasure friendship, it can exist at its lowest level (equivalent to utility friendship) -in the instance when people happen to meet in a community of their interest and get to know each other there. They find the pleasure, the joy - each other's company because they support each other in some form of activity, and it's when they come to participate a common activity. So, this is led by the 3rd element. Of course, it can also exist as the next phase after utility friendship. After getting to know each other, they find something common that they enjoy. This is beyond the original reason that bring them together. It's an extension, I would see.

Perfect friendship is certainly more complicated, and I believe, it would have developed from utility and/or pleasure friendship. We may just pick up a phone and call our friend - just to say hello. Once in a while, will sms to remind each other's presence. It's something that one cares to do, for no other reason, but bothers and cares to maintain the connection with the others. Of course, a friend in need is also a friend indeed. A friend is also one who renders support and give a listening ear. When help is needed, time is not an issue. Beauty sleep is also not an issue. Because it's for our friend. That's friends!