A person who most of us see as a good friend is most often someone who views life the same way as we do. When close friends share our values, it cuts a huge wedge out of loneliness. When we know that someone understands the way we are living, understands our griefs, our worries and even the walls before us, yet this friend continues to believe in us and feel confident that we're on the right track, that there is such good medicine!¹
So being in agreement with people makes a good starting point for a friendship. And sometimes an even greater friendship can happen if we have friends in our lives with whom we can agree to disagree about some things. I am good friends with a number of individuals that are not in the same political party as I am. But I love them, and they love me, and love overtakes our differences.
Our greatest need sometimes, is to know that we are not messing up, and someone who steps out and, well they're actually in the process of adding the word 'upstander' to the dictionary. Someone who proudly stands up, and tells the world that they back us in the choices we have made, I would say that is a friend to cherish.
It is so easy to have friends if we remember to show unconditional love, and also to avoid judging people. All it is, is a matter of making a firm decision to be loving, and when the temptation to be hostile comes, you have already committed it to memory: you have decided to choose love.
¹(I need to say no, I don't think you should go off your medicine because you have good friends. I take a good bit of medicine myself. I only use the word medicine for literary purposes).
