by Guy

Created on: March 05, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

What do you want out of a friend?

Do you want a friend that lies to you or tells you the truth?

I know the answer that you would give. You want a friend that will tell you the truth, but do you really know what that means? It seems to me that most are confused as to what they want out of a friend. I could devote a book to this with my supposed wisdom and philosophy not to mention stories. But what I think is probably the most important part of being a friend or to have in your own friend is to be honest.

First, friends are the only people that will look after your happiness. A person who is truly your friend usually has a good sense of what will make you happy. It is kind of like having an instinct. They also are open and free with their emotions to you. Other people will try to be nice and say all the "right" things but in reality, they are not tuned to you and really have no interest. They are leaches that are looking for a person to be with, not be friends with. Sad really, having to be that lonely. A friend will know what makes you happy and they will be happy with that also.

A friend will tell you the truth even when it hurts. They will know that you are in it with them for the long haul and they can see that sometimes they have to intervene. They will tell you to stop that addiction. They will tell you to get off your butt and do better in school. They will tell you when you are treating them bad or someone else bad. They will tell you that a person has cheated on you or stabbed you in the back. They will give you a good swat when you need to wake up and smell the coffee. Things that hurt will always be true. They always are. And friends can be harsh when they speak the truth. they know you need to hear it though.

A true friend will give you advice and then let you decide. They will not make a decision for you. It is not their choice to make. It is their job to make sure you see all the choices. They will let you know that is the right thing to do no matter how much you may not want to hear it or even do it. They will tell you the most objective observations that you are not seeing and then will stand back. They will tell you what is right to do and then support your choice no matter what it is. That is a friend. They respect your choices and will not judge you for them. It was your choice and that is good enough for them.

They will cry with you and hold you when you are down and whipped from the fall out. They will be sympathetic and consoling. There will be no "I told you so" but only an embrace until the pain passes.

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