Being A True Friend: A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

It is a common fact that no human being can exist alone in the world and indeed friendships are the pearls of human lives. Friendships are mutual bonds that make our lives enjoyable. Friends are very critical for our daily lives as they help us grow strong in mind and body, improve our physical and mental health. Friends help each other deal with stress, make better lifestyle choices thus keep each other strong and facilitate rebound from socioeconomic and health challenges more quickly (Sigstad 22-23). As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed, friends who are close during both hard and good times are to be cherished and ensure that life is simpler, more enjoyable, and meaningful to improve the quality of life (Freitag et al. 470). Despite being an essential ingredient to prosperous social lives, true friendship bonds are demanding, so one must know the traits of what it means to be a true friend.

First, a true friend means that the person must be trusted since friends have different and important secrets between each other. A true friend means that either party can never at any given time backstab and divulge information that is meant to be kept a secret behind the back of the other individual (Miller). To be considered a true friend, one must be honest such that the person will be able, to tell the truth in moments when it is the only thing that matters. A true friend must be honest with the other party by acting as a compass that whenever the other person is going in the wrong direction of life, they tell them they are wrong. Honesty in this regard is very important since it can either build or destroy the other person.

Secondly, to be considered a true friend, the person must be reliable and dependable. This means that a true friend can be counted on to be there when they say they will, to do what they say they will, and showing the willingness to stand up for friends particularly in moments in life when they cannot stand up for themselves (Miller). Failure to be reliable and dependable leads to superficial and straining friendships. As such, a true friend will be counted on to deliver on all their promises and can be relied on for anything. A true friend who is reliable and dependable will be trusted to show up for any important event and to accomplish any task assigned to them by their counterpart.

Thirdly, a true friend must be compassionate and loyal to the other person since this trait demonstrates that they care for the other person (Miller). This compels one to try to sympathize immaterial of whether or not they are in agreement with the crisis the friend is facing even the ones that are most challenging. A true friend expresses empathy at all times and especially in times of grieving (Miller). On the other hand, loyalty is a crucial trait for true friendship as it ensures that the person is not a traitor and one can be safe with sharing their vulnerabilities with the other person. A compassionate and loyal friend will be counted on to be supportive of their friend at any given time.

As such, trust, reliability and dependability, and compassion and loyalty, are crucial traits for one to be considered a true friend (Freitag et al., 467-468). This enables us to confide in them about our innermost feelings, deepest secrets, and private information. These traits will enable friends to be there for each other in good and bad times, overcome challenges, and bring happiness for one’s life for the improvement of social lives. Other traits that mean to be a true friend include self-confidence when dealing with issues affecting the friend and others in society and the ability to create humor to make life enjoyable and to be fun with.