• What does friendship mean to you ?

For me, friendship means being able to count on others (in good times and bad).

 

•  Has it always meant the same throughout your life ?

The definition of friendship has evolved over the course of my life, having met lots of people at different stages of my life, due to several moves. I can distinguish several types of friendship: indestructible friendships (often with childhood friends, who even though each has evolved in a different environment, have a strong bond between them). Passing friendships, more superficial friendships, where we enjoy seeing people without necessarily always hearing from them, or they can be friends' of friends. Physical friendships: we become close to certain people because they are also physically present at a given moment in our lives. We can experience very intense things with these people, but that means that once we're physically separated, we don't maintain the friendship. I now have these different notions of friendship because I had to move quite often which has affected me, as I lost certain friendships. Paradoxically, even though I no longer have contact with certain people who have meant so much to me, they have and always will have a special place in my heart.

 

• How old are you now ?

29 

 

• Could you break down the evolution of your idea of friendship throughout different periods of your life ?

a) middle school / high school

b) university

c) first years of working life

d) the most recent stage of your life

 

At school, I considered almost everyone in my class a friend. Each new year, each new class, I made more and more friends. At university, the feeling was much the same, with lots of interaction and lots of social solutions. Now that I'm working, I have much less time. I find it hard to keep in touch with all the people I'd like to keep in touch with, and I try to prioritize certain friendships.

 

• Do you value more romantic relationships than friendships ? Or if you cannot answer this in a straightforward way, could you explain how these two play a role in your life ? Basically here you can write your thoughts on both. 

I value my friendships as much as my relationship with my partner. I need a balance between what I do with my friends and what I do with my partner. I also like to keep my independence; my friends are my friends and his are his.

 

• What is the definition of a good friend to you ?

My good friends are the people I can count on / lean on in times of need.

 

• Would you say that you are a good friend ?

From my point of view, I'm a reliable person that people can count on, by my definition I think I'm a good friend

 

• Has it always been the case ?

I think so.

 

• If not, what made you change ?

.

 

• Would you say that the way you first saw friendship (its role, its purpose, i.e, what it meant) was influenced by how your parents - or your primary caregiver- interacted with their friends ? (Please do take a moment to think about it)

I grew up in a very welcoming and caring family. It's certain that this must have influenced me to some extent. However, with the experiences I've made and the time that's gone by, I've forged my current values.

 

• How do you feel when you are with your close friends ? 

I feel great! I know I can be myself without negative judgment.

 

• Does it match the definition of friendship you mentioned in the first question ?

Not exactly, I'd have to add the notion of acceptance to my definition of friendship because that's extremely important to me.

 

• What are your thoughts on the notion of ‘efforts’ put in relationships in general ? And in friendship in particular ?

Yes, sometimes I can get the feeling with some people that I'm trying too hard. In fact, this feeling arises when I have the impression that efforts are always being made in the same direction. I believe that friendship is a two-way street: you have to give as well as receive.

 

• Here you can add any thoughts that you would like to share about this theme.

What I find beautiful about friendship is that it doesn't have a limited space in people's heart. We don't have a limited amount of love to give in our lives. It's something that multiplies, that increases tenfold according to the number of people in our hearts.

 

When you were answering these questions, I bet you had specific people in mind. So please as soon as you are done answering these, tell your friends that you love them :) 

Will do ! :)