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A lot of philosophers can become boring and hard to follow. That is the cool exception with Aristotle. He was a very positive thinker. His beliefs focused on the good side of mankind instead of the negative. The topic for this article is the principles of friendship. Hopefully the plain explanation will make it easy to follow. Aristotle had some wonderful input on the subject of friends.

One of the lasting principles of friendship in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is the concept of love. Without love for another person there really isn't a friendship. So nuts and bolts of it, you have to love your friends. There are different depths and types of love. But love is needed as a lasting principle of friendship.

Another part of friendship is respectful communication. You talk to other people on their level. Look at how they talk. Look at how they relate to the world. There are differences in all of us. We are going to have friends we don't agree with. But you talk respectfully to one another and agree to disagree. The friendship will last instead of ending over a stupid argument.

Hey we all have to change. It is important to listen to our friends and make good changes in our lives. We can learn from the examples that our friends set for us. At the same time, our friends can learn from us as well. Friendship is a two way street to benefit both people. Friends HELP one another instead of hurting one another.

These principles hold true today. You have to love in order to be loved. You have to show respect and get past your differences. You have to support and help one another to have lasting friendships. We all could have much better friends and relationships if we followed these principles.

Learn more about this author, Joyce Priddy.
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