True and genuine friendship is rare in our materialistic age. Fortunate are those who find sincere and devoted friend in this age where friends are weighed and judged on the criterion of how useful they can be. People are in constant search of wealthy, influential and powerful people to befriend them just to get their vested interest and personal gains with the help of them irrespective of their sincerity, honesty and devotion. Power and Pelf has become a yardstick for having a Friend. Judging on this criterion, a poor man is unlucky, for he won't be able to have any friend because of his poverty and low status in society, although he is sincere, devoted, honest and loving to the core. But, these qualities, which were once the hallmark of true friendship, are worthless and of little significance for him when it comes to having friendship.

Given this mindset of people, we find many sincere and selfless people being confined to their homes because they find it difficult to move in a society where love and generosity are replaced by hatred and greed. They dislike the place where wealth is given primary importance, sidelining all moral and ethical values once considered essential for a healthy and egalitarian society. They thank God millions of times if per chance they meet a like minded, sincere and selfless person. Indeed, a noble friendship seems to be like some species in extinction. That is why we find people having a few friends nowadays.They consider themselves better without friends or with a few friend instead of having number of so-called and dishonest friends.

I must say that a sincere and selfless person is better than hundreds of greedy and time-serving friends. We can easily be surrounded and accompanied by many so-called friends who will stick with us as long as they can derive some benefits from them. Once their objective is achieved, they lose no time to abandon and leave us in the lurch. Such fair-weather friends are like parasites or mercenaries. The sooner we detect and recognize them, the better it is to get red of them forever, because they are snakes in the grass.

There is no dearth of good people in our society. But, regrettably, they have resigned to their fate after being dejected and disappointed after their utter failure to get encouraging response of their good attitude and behavior. They have failed to have good friends to be happy and cheerful. Sometimes, they seem to be losing all hopes. They must not do so. They must hope against hope. They are supposed to be optimistic. I believe if we want to have a true friend, we must be true and loyal friend first. If you want to have a friend, Be friend.

Learn more about this author, Khadim Hussain.
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