TRUE FRIENDSHIP

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

FRIENDSHIP doesn’t come from KINSHIP; it’s rather inseparable TWINSHIP. They join you or you join them in a SHIP of mutual attraction towards each other, trust, good faith, welfare, and well-being with a sketch pen to colour your lives. No LORDSHIP, OVERLORDSHIP, RULERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, MASTERSHIP, SLAVESHIP, DICTATORSHIP, CENSORSHIP, SECRETSHIP, and/or ONE-UPMANSHIP, but only COMPANIONSHIP and COMRADESHIP. It develops from nothing into an unknown, general but great PARTNERSHIP or COPARTNERSHIP. It doesn’t differentiate between YOUNGERSHIP and ELDERSHIP. Friends come running in a WARSHIP with SURETYSHIP to mitigate your HARDSHIP. FRIENDSHIP book is written by COAUTHORSHIP. Friends have mind-READERSHIP. They extend to one another SCHOLARSHIP, a positive joint OWNERSHIP. A true friend is help SHIP in your HARDSHIP. Good friends maintain an excellent COLLEAGUESHIP and GUIDESHIP with good intentions throughout.

A Friend in need is a friend indeed! Again, a true friend is the one who is seen at your doorsteps coming to your rescue in times of distress/need while everyone else finds an easy way out. Good friends are like software program – they enter your life through mutual understanding – browse and scan your problems – edit your difficulties, analyze them, upload solutions, and you also download and adopt them without any reservations - widen your knowledge margins and using their explorer skills create shortcuts for problem-solving – erase your worries – and saves you even without an SMS (save my soul) from you. Hence true friends are icons to each other. A true friend is like a cursor that sincerely points out your good and bad sides without any ulterior motives behind. There may be plenty of persons to share your joy, but only a few really share your difficulties, ordeals and woes. A true friend does both! A smart friend’s help gives perfect settings to your life.

 

There are two gifts to man – the chance to have a true friend and the choice to have one. It doesn’t matter how you got your ‘true friend’. The dictum is “Times are changing, and we, with the times, but not in the way of true friendship.” Friendship is that recognizes, appreciates and nurtures an enduring relationship for whole life, and not a mere acquaintance. A true friend perseveres and persists in keeping the friendship intact at any cost and by all means. It does not break just for the asking.

 

History is replete with examples of true and noble friendships. Once, an ancient Tamil King Adhiyaman got a ‘life-enduring Amla (goose-berry) fruit’. But he did not want to take it himself. Out of his affection and friendship and of course because of his deep love and regard for Tamil language, he gave it to the great saint-philosopher Tamil Poetess ‘Avvayar’ known for her Tamil poetry on all subjects under the sky and noble values and virtues, so that she could live longer and render yeoman service to the Tamil language and people.

 

King Dhuryodhana, not knowing that his beloved friend Karna was none other than one of his cousins, treated him as his brother and crowned him as the king of ‘Anga’ kingdom donating it to him for the purpose. That is the strength of true friendship. Of course, in reciprocity, Karna made the supreme sacrifice giving up his life in the Kurusthetra War, bravely fighting against his own biological siblings ‘Pandavas’.

 

A ship is closely associated with the sea and the sea always accommodates the ship. In fact, all the time a ship sails on the sea and thus both look like friends. But at times of rough weather like storms, cyclones, typhoons, etc., even the sea becomes furious with its high-rising tidal waves sinking the ship or dragging it ashore.  It is only the anchor which saves the ship from being sunk. A true friend is like an anchor who is always ready and steady in help. True friends don’t change colours or snap ties and bond.

 

A friend may sometimes be more helpful than a relative. Of course, this is not to lower the status of blood relatives. It is natural for a relative to extend helping hand to his/her kinsfolk. Contrarily, two persons – aliens to start with - make friendship on mutual understanding, affection, regards and involvement between them for reasons they themselves don’t know sometimes, and out of an indescribable attraction towards each other. They stay together and keep kinship transcending all barriers.

 

By seeing a water drop sitting pretty well on a lotus flower or leaf shining like a diamond, one can’t call or conclude both as ‘friends’ since it will be a misnomer. For, even a small tilt of the flower or the leaf would dislodge the water drop in a jiff. But true friendship is inseparable like ‘flesh and blood’.

 

True friendship is like your bank account, where you have deposited your trust, goodwill and confidence in your friend. Withdraw what you are in need of at times of distress – physical, financial and/or emotional for solace.

 

To wrap up, the language of friendship is not words but meaning. A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden. True friends are those rare people who come to find you in darkness and lead you back to light. One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else may come to you only when there is smile on your face for gain.

 

 

R.SAMPATH

6/7/2020