Generally, based on the Macmillan English Dictionary (2007, pg 504), everlasting is
defined as something that will continue to exist forever meanwhile friendship means a relationship between people who are friends or the feeling of being friends with others. So basically, everlasting friendship means a relationship between people that lasts for a lifetime. But for sure, every each of us will have our own different perception of the word ‘everlasting friendship’. As quoted by Farah Syuhana, the most relaxed person in our small circle of friends, everlasting friendship means something that is built with trust, love and care throughout the whole friendship process. Meanwhile, Bernadette, the most timid person, said that “it is when someone is willing to spend their free time for you and willing to listen to every useless thing you rant about”. It is funny to know that a single word – ‘everlasting friendship’, could be defined in million ways possible.
How to keep an everlasting friendship? Again, there are too many inexplicable answers for this simple little question. Some may say it’s all about compromising between our fellow friends. Some may say all you need is love. Generally, it’s all about being there when your friend is in need. It is proven that when we keep holding on, we can make it through. Li Meng Han, the jokers of the group member always claims that, “You are not alone because I’ll be by your side; you know I’ll take your hand”. Even though we’ve just met each other for a short period of time, each and every day our bond of friendship become stronger and intimate. We still remember the day when we first met, we can already feel the chemistry between us. We hit things off from the very beginning and since then we became inseparable and that shows through our decision to be a group in this topic of ‘Everlasting Friendship’.
To maintain a good relationship that lasts for a lifetime is not as simple as it seems. There are lots of hard work needs to be put in, both physically and mentally. For example, by being there to give a helping hand for our friend when they are facing a troubling matter is much more better than to just give a simple “what happen?” short-messaging-service (SMS). Or maybe if we can’t go to them, at least a simple phone call would be so meaningful rather than leaving a message in Facebook.
There’s a story about true friend that is might be interesting to read at. In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really..."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
It’s a simple story but brings a very meaningful lesson - we can always participate in loose talks to curb our boredom. But when it comes to your friends it is not worth it. Never talk bad about your dear friends. That is one of the ways on how to maintain an everlasting friendship.
Friendship is also about accepting each other no matter what flaws our friends have. When it comes to friendship, all are equal. If we make friends, we should stick by them till the end. Life is meaningless without a friend. There’s another story about to always be there for friends. Tom and Timothy were in the same regiment in the army. They were inseparable friends and spent their evenings drinking together. After retirement, they went to different states and settled. However, they kept correspondence through letters and e-mails. To keep the memory of their boozing bouts alive, Tom always filled two glasses with rum and water and sipped from each alternately!
When somebody asked him why he did so, he explained: 'This glass is Timothy's; this one is mine. So I take a sip from each - one on behalf of Timothy, the other for myself.' Suddenly one evening Tom was seen with only one glass on his table. He was asked what had happened. He replied, 'You see, I have given up drinking but Timothy has written that he has not. So I have put away my glass and drink only on behalf of my friend.'
Why is there a need to find our own everlasting friendship? Let us take these situations for us to give our thought into: imagine when it’s cold, and you feel like the world has end, there’s no place to go, who will you turn to? Imagine when the road looks rough ahead and you are miles and miles away from your nice warm bed, who will be there for you? Imagine all else fails in your life, and it seems like there is no escape from all your problems, who will stand by you? That is when we need somebody called ‘friends’. If you have no friends, you have nothing. Belinda, the coolest person in our group stated that, “When I made mistakes, the only people who stayed and stand by me are my true friends”. We were made to love and to be loved but the price this world demands would cost us far too much. We’ve spent so many lonely years just trying to fit in but now we have found a place in this group that we call; circle of friends.
Nita, the most serious person when it comes to work summarised, “Everlasting friendship based on my opinion is a relationship between two or more individuals, in which the relationship has been going on for years. During that time, they have been through many obstacles that keep on cropping now and then or bittersweet memories together. In this relationship, understanding, patience and even platonic love is developed very well. Even empathy is born in this relationship”.
As a conclusion, everlasting friendship is something that can be defined in many ways and we have to put our best effort in order to maintain the bond between our groups of friends. As what Walter Winchell (1968, pg1) quoted that, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Men and women can have friends but great men and women all over the world have, from time to time, understood the importance of having friends and the power of the beautiful relation called friendship. Lydrielyn Koh, the weirdest person in the group reminds that, “True friends will never let you fall; they will stand up with you forever and be there for you through it all even if saving you sends them to heaven.”
Note that all the names in my essay are my friends' name except for Walter Winchell. :)
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