• What does friendship mean to you ?

Friendship means knowing someone loves you for who you are. With your qualities and flaws no matter what they are. Love is really a selfish feeling because it is about what the other person brings to your life. But Friendship is more about giving.

 

•  Has it always meant the same throughout your life ?

No my thoughts on friendship has evolved with the years.

 

• How old are you now ?

24 

 

• 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

 

In middle school+high school I used to think that you need to talk to the person everyday to call them your friends. In university, In university it was important to see my friends often around a lunch or an activity. In the most recent stage of my life, I understood it is not about how many times you talk or see each other but how deep your connexion is and the values you share in common.

 

• 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 think having both in my life has helped me balance. My friendships help me having a healthier romantic relationship and the contrary is also true. I think both are really important.

 

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

A person who is there for you when you need them. Someone who really wants the best for you and can tell you when you are wrong or doing bad.

 

• Would you say that you are a good friend ?

Yes I am. I have not always been but now I am.

 

• Has it always been the case ?

No, sometimes I have been a bad friend and realizing was hard.

 

• If not, what made you change ?

Having people who told me the truth and being able to humble myself and recognize I hurt someone.

 

• 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)

Not really, I have lived with a single mom who had few friends and they were not talking often so no.

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

I feel like I can be myself without any judgement, I feel a lot of happiness and joy.

 

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

Yes it does.

 

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

Yes sometimes it is a reality. It is not about comparing what yo do for the other vs what the other does for you because people give you what they can. It is about realizing that the person does the bare minimum when you are doing the most.

 

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

Humain beings are the most complicated people on earth so everything that involves relationship is complicated too.

 

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 :)