Man is a social animal. We need friends around us; but we rarely find friends among our family members: siblings, children, parents and spouse. A friend is one who tries to bring out the best in us. We need to be friendlier with siblings, parents, children, and spouse. Why don’t we do it? Let’s try to correct this human error. God will bless us.

my friend

He is my dear friend.

A talented person with many divine traits:

Humane, hard-working, honest and considerate of people in need.

But he is possessive and believes: ‘I am always right.’

He wanted me to give my ‘other friend’ a low priority.

I refused and rejected his advice.

my other friend

The ‘other’ friend is not as talented,

But he is humane, hardworking, honest and considerate of people in need.

He is tolerant of the opinions of others.

The inner conflict

I was disturbed

How could I get the best out of my friend?

I tried to argue with him.

rejected me

I had to choose: either friend or the ‘other’ friend.

Meanwhile, my friend avoided me.

I was socially boycotted by him.

He insisted on conditional friendship.

He wanted exclusive rights to our friendship.

He didn’t think he was right.

I wish: if only I learned the art of sharing life with others.

But most of us refuse to change our way of thinking.

There is inertia in our mind and in our approach to life.

We believe that what we learned in our childhood is the ultimate truth.

We refuse to budget an inch.

Our thought process is rarely objective.

life goes on

My friend walked away from me.

I was disturbed for some time.

But time is an eternal healer.

I searched for friendship, and there were people to fill the void.

I found a couple of genuine people, who respected me for who I am.

My social needs were met,

And I was back in harmony with my life..

Who should all be our friends

I wish our relationships, siblings, spouse, parents and children, could also be our friends!

Society, family life and the world around us could be miraculously transformed into a pleasant – until now utopian – reality.

It is possible, although it is not fashionable.

But it requires effort.

Ego clashes between siblings, spouses, parents, and children have greatly impoverished our family life and society.

We overcome our weakness:

Overcome rigid attitudes and the ‘I’m always right’ syndrome,

Learn to forget and forgive.

Let’s make an effort to correct ourselves, instead of wasting time proving others wrong.

Friendship with spouse is the most challenging

When the spouse is the friend, it is not so easy to leave this friendship.

It leads to a broken home.

Friendship with near and dear ones is more difficult to maintain.

It’s a long-term friendship, God willing, a lifelong friendship.

Excessive familiarity leads to indifference and can even lead to contempt.

There is a trust deficit everywhere.

The institution of marriage is giving way to the relationship of cohabitation.

The art of living together as spouses is not easy to practice, with feminism flourishing all over the world.

Divorce rates are skyrocketing.

Humanity must fight back.

But he has to learn the art of: dissipating ego shocks, forgetting and forgiving past hurts, and tolerating ‘other’ friends: the in-laws.

God will pour out His blessings for this noble cause.