Friendship

We meet and interact with countless people everyday....be it in the workplace, a next-door neighbor or a random person on the street. Of these innumerable interactions, there emerge certain kindred spirits....people who make the rare transition from strangers and acquaintances to close friends. You never can predict when and how two people hit it off....sometimes its coz they have loads in common from hobbies to work to ideals and sometimes you can have two very different people coming together, learning from each other and managing to complement the other in surprising ways!!

In today's day and age, these friends are almost like our surrogate family....bound by ties that can go much deeper than plain genetics. Every thing we do, every decision we take, every new person that enters our lives has an effect on the others in this close-knit circle. We depend and many a times take for granted their support and encouragement in times of need and more often than not, are never let down! But what happens if we are doing something wrong...making the wrong choices?? Our ego can sometimes be our worst enemy, quietly assuring us that we are in control....that we can handle the situation. Protests and words of advice from this same family get a patient ear initially and if we are lucky, then better sense prevails. But what if that doesn't happen?? What if we have reached a point where we no longer have the ability to be objective about our actions? Then this same advice, words of protest and concern start to irk us....we no longer want to listen to any arguments...just want peace!!! What then should our friends do?? Admit that they can't get through to us and in the interest of harmony keep quiet?? Let us do as we please??

Its the worst kind of test to put our friends through....making them fight against us for our own good.....and its only the closest of friends who have the courage to do it. We would be truly fortunate to have such people around us.....