What does the word, Friendship mean?
Friendship is one of the core values we commonly consider very important in life. As a social animal, human beings can't live alone and even should not do so. It is because we can make our own identity, or personality, only through interactions with others. Thus, it is relationship with others as well as the presence of them that is undeniably necessary. Although there are family members such as parents and siblings, they can't be always with us; and therefore friends can be the closest factor affecting us. That's why friendship is important. However, people usually just have an abstract image about friendship and feel hard to explain specifically what it is. We can get a concrete notion of friendship by suggesting its definition, features, and functions.
First of all, There are two subsections in definition of friendship. One is a dictionary definition and the other is an associative (or evocative) definition. In the dictionary one, friendship is just the relationship between friends, or it refers to merely the state of being friends. That is what people generally come up with when asked to say about friendship. The associative definition is more specific, which literally has some images or feelings with the word. In that section, friendship means the intimacy or affection between friends, and the word could make people remind of their close friends or memories with them. In my case, when I heard the word, memories with my best friends O-hyung and Jong-hyung come to mind. Going to the E-world amusement park after middle school graduation day, traveling to Busan after high school graduation day, and other small things with them all come to my mind.
Next, the features of friendship show difference depending on the depth of friendship. Normally human relationship proceeds from acquaintances to friend to best friends. In acquaintance stage, people are very formal like the interaction with colleague in workplace. After being closer or feeling comfortable, people can be friends. And there can be friendship now. At the beginning, it is very reciprocal, or mutual, even though people are more intimate and there are more personal conversation. For example, I feel uncomfortable when I am treated well whether it is just a cup of coffee or a meal. I don't mean to say it gives me negative impression. Rather, I feel I need to replay him or her kindness. In the best friends stage, people don't really care the give-and-take relation. In here, emotional relation stands out more as a feature such as affection, trust, loyalty or commitment. There is strong bond between friends so that the relationship is harder to be quit than before stage. For instance, it is difficult to meet O-hyung and Jong-hyung who are my best friends I mentioned above because of respective busy life. Still, our friendship is a firm one. We don't feel any sense of distance or unfamiliarity. Whenever and wherever we meet, we are really intimate as if we were still in the same school at the same classroom.
Lastly, This is about the functions of friendship. Actually, it has in common with other human relationship. Internal function is ego formation as I said at the beginning of this essay. Watching friends' reaction, one can recognize what behavior is okay and what is not in the relationship with friends. External function is to get a interaction format. Through friendship, one can learn how to communicate with others.
Today, I check what the friendship really is through its definition, features and functions. Considering those facts of friendship, I think it is really valuable enough to be cherished. Here is one quotation about friendship, and I'd like to finish my writing with this. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who is worldwide german litterateur said, "The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities, but to know that there is someone who, though distant, thinks and feels with us - this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden."
Seonghwan(writer): Oh, it's chapter 3 actually :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I am Hyobin Jeon from same class with you! First of all, thank you for sharing your own opinions with me. Because I thought that deciding the definition of friendship is nearly impossible, your effort to do this activity at your own standard was very impressed for me. And I really like your logical thinking. But, if you make the body part of your writing more simple to read, it will be much better, I think. Thank you.
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