11/12/2012
Dr. Schreiner
Paper 2
The Means Behind Friendship
“Friendship is a virtue or at least involves virtue. It is necessary to life, since no one would choose to live without friends even if he had all other material goods. Friends are a refuge in times of poverty and misfortune; they help to guard the young from error; they help the old in their weakness, and help those in the prime of life to perform noble actions.” –Aristotle
According to dictionary.com, the word friendship is defined as a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate. By little being said to define the term friendship; words or phrases would not create the whole idea of friendship, and for us to understand this meaning; personal examples and experiences may help realize the depth or what friendship really is. Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. A person who has true friends in life is lucky enough Friendship makes life thrilling. It makes life sweet and a pleasant experience. Friendship is indeed, an asset in life. It can lead us to success or to doom. It all depends on how we choose our friends. A true friend stands by you through thick and thin. True friendship knows no boundaries or demarcations of caste, creed, race and sex.
Friendship is both good and necessary. Man cannot live all alone. He is a social being. He needs someone to share his joys and sorrows. Generally, it is only the people of the same age, character and background, mentality, etc., who can understand him and understand his problems. Friends are needed for support and for sharing. Friendship is an elixir which is essential for a happy life.
Aristotle describes a friendship of utility as shallow, “easily dissolved” or for the old. He views them as such because this type of friendship is easily broken and based on something that is brought to the relationship by the other person. Aristotle uses the example of trade and argues that