18 replies to this topic

[seakingtheonixpected]

Recently I've been pondering the idea of friendship and began to wonder if my definition is maybe to narrow. According to my current definition I have only had 4 friends in my life (excluding girlfriends but including Internet friends) and currently have 0.5 friends.

 

My definition is as follows: The theoretical friend and I must enjoy each-others company enough to actually seek it out.

 

What I mean by that is people who I communicate on a regular basis because we happen to be in the same area do not count as friends because the only reason we communicate is because of relative proximity.

 

That isn't to say that those conversations are of value, just that it doesn't seem to constitute a friendship to me.

 

Any thoughts?

[RespawningEnemy]

I don't usually use the term "friend" that much because I think friendship is a very grey matter. It depends on how much you talk to that person and how much you like each other. Because feelings for people aren't binary (love/hate) and because the amount of words you say to someone aren't counted, this becomes very hard to judge. Even if we could somehow measure these things, whose to say what numbers/measures mean what?

 

Also, 0.5 friends?

[bookfloss]

I suppose I define friendship as "Bonding independent of circumstance."

 

It's that quality of instantly hitting it off & always being open with affection. And that quality always being there whether you speak daily or pick up right where you left off after not communicating for years.

 

I really don't know how to the define the people you seem close to but grow apart from gradually and then just don't ever speak to again.

 

If you can grow apart from them, I'm not sure I would call them a friend. They're more like a passing comet & the real friend is like a moon which - regardless of its relative phase - is always orbiting in your life somewhere.

 

Hope it helps.     

[(V) (`m`) (V) ︵ ┻━┻]

I consider a friend to be someone that you can bring any subject up to without critisism or shame and it is never awkward to do so.

Someone that accepts you thoroughly for exactly the way you are and you can be absolutely yourself around them.

Someone who can razz you and it's endearing, never cruel.

Someone who shares a good amount of the same interests with you so that you always have fun things to do together/speak of, and at the same time can teach you something entirely new you never even considered.

They can make just sitting around watching tv fun.

And you can call them day or night no matter what and never feel like you are pestering them because theyre always there for you.

I miss having friends, right now I just kind of have a whole lot of aquaintances.

[Affray]

There are two types of teachers.

Those that start every student off at zero percent in the class, and everything you hand in adds up toward a potential 100%, and those that start every student out at 100% and everything you turn in damages your grade until you hit the end of the course and the grade you have is the result of your failures.

 

When I meet new people, and we are in the same room/function/group of people we know, I consider them a friend.

 

Oh hey, I remember this guy from so and so's birthday-friend.

I sit beside the same person a few times on the bus and we sometimes talk about various what have you-friend.

Classmates who crack jokes together and share notes-friends.

 

Everyone is a friend of mine until they give me a reason for them not to be.

[monaparker]

Wouldn't you say that it depends on the person?

 

What a friend is to one person might be considered to be an acquaintance to another.

 

To me is someone who does not input anything negative into my life and someone who respects Aquaman. You gotta respect the gills!

[(V) (`m`) (V) ︵ ┻━┻]

There are two types of teachers.
Those that start every student off at zero percent in the class, and everything you hand in adds up toward a potential 100%, and those that start every student out at 100% and everything you turn in damages your grade until you hit the end of the course and the grade you have is the result of your failures.
 
When I meet new people, and we are in the same room/function/group of people we know, I consider them a friend.
 
Oh hey, I remember this guy from so and so's birthday-friend.
I sit beside the same person a few times on the bus and we sometimes talk about various what have you-friend.
Classmates who crack jokes together and share notes-friends.
 
Everyone is a friend of mine until they give me a reason for them not to be.

That's lovely, truly.

[seakingtheonixpected]

Also, 0.5 friends?

well technically .762695313 friends, but I didn't want to get technical, basically a few people are potential friends however, none have really crossed that threshold.

[SushiKitten]

I tend to shut up around people I don't know well so to me friends are the people who aren't surprised when I burst out in random giggle fits that seem to come from no where.

 

There are two types of teachers.

Those that start every student off at zero percent in the class, and everything you hand in adds up toward a potential 100%, and those that start every student out at 100% and everything you turn in damages your grade until you hit the end of the course and the grade you have is the result of your failures.

 

When I meet new people, and we are in the same room/function/group of people we know, I consider them a friend.

 

Oh hey, I remember this guy from so and so's birthday-friend.

I sit beside the same person a few times on the bus and we sometimes talk about various what have you-friend.

Classmates who crack jokes together and share notes-friends.

 

Everyone is a friend of mine until they give me a reason for them not to be.

You always have a good way with words. This is so well said. 

[fae]

I generally think friends are the people whose company I like until they give me a reason not to like them anymore. But normally I am quite patient with people who once got on my good side.
Now I really think about it I don't really know at what point I call someone a friend..

[Calvary]

it seems really weird to try and quantify what a 'friend' is...I just kinda consider anyone who I get on with a friend.

[bookfloss]

Fresh from Mr Hibachi's a few minutes ago. Kinda makes things odd when you substitute our definitions for the word 'friend' & 'one'...   

 

 

...furthermore, I'm not comfortable with my fortune containing 'have', 'friend', 'lucky', & 'horse' altogether & in that order.  

[Epic?OhYes]

Recently I've been pondering the idea of friendship and began to wonder if my definition is maybe to narrow. According to my current definition I have only had 4 friends in my life (excluding girlfriends but including Internet friends) and currently have 0.5 friends.

 

My definition is as follows: The theoretical friend and I must enjoy each-others company enough to actually seek it out.

 

What I mean by that is people who I communicate on a regular basis because we happen to be in the same area do not count as friends because the only reason we communicate is because of relative proximity.

 

That isn't to say that those conversations are of value, just that it doesn't seem to constitute a friendship to me.

 

Any thoughts?

I feel the same way, I have tons of people I talk to, but out of them all I only consider 3 of them as actual " friends" .

[Calvary]

Well that's not very nice is it?

[Mister Sympa]

I have 2.5 friends at the moment. The 0.5 is somewhere between "friend" and "sister".
 

 

A lot of people I thought fell into that category revealed themselves to be shite.

[Champion of Cyrodiil]

You don't.  They define you.

[seakingtheonixpected]

You don't.  They define you.

This needs one of those motivational images of like a guy jump in the air with a huge open mouth smile.

[Sethre]

Honestly it's to hard to define a friend for me. I have friends that are like my siblings and then I have just plain old friends. 

 

You don't.  They define you.

Also this.

[Affray]