What value does the average person place on friendship? How do we define the average friendship? Friendship has come to mean many many different things. When we think of online friendships, people can have thousands of friends. But real friends? We know real friendships because we can sense a common bond with the person and ourselves, a special knowing that we are special to them and they are special to us. Mostly, this kind of knowing is a result of shared experiences. Someone may behave in a way that many people consider strange. But when a real friend comes on the scene, he or she has seen us in many other settings. He or she has had a chance to size up our value system. Therefore, one person can calm a storm. Many people may be thinking that someone's action is strange. Yet one person can come on the scene who understands the virtue behind this person's reasoning, and offer the person favor.
My mother shared a verse from a Shakespeare sonnet with me that I find valuable and helpful when thinking about my friends: "Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove"*. I encourage you to really think about this little verse. Because if someone is expecting you to jump through hoops, or you will lose their friendship, is this person really your friend? If you are losing sleep because you are worried that someone you love will find out something about you that you don't want them to know, is a person who will leave you on the basis of (whatever it is you're hiding) really worthy of your love?
Who are the people who are worthy of your love? Because if you have five thousand friends or followers, I'll bet even out of a number like that, your real friends can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Cherish them.
*Shakespeare Sonnet 116
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