Thoughts on Friendship and Honesty, from an Introvert’s view

Friends are family we chose for ourselves.

Although there are many forms of friendship, some of which may vary from place to place, certain characteristics are present in many types of such bonds. Such characteristics include affection; kindness, love, virtue, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, loyalty, generosity, forgiveness, mutual understanding and compassion, enjoyment of each other’s company, trust, and the ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings to others, and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the friend. Friendship is an essential aspect of relationship building skills. Friendship is a vital part of life.

Introverts find it hard to make friends. They even find it harder keeping relationships! Even so, introverts have someone they love, trust and confide in. They are choosy and careful lovers, so find it hard to trust. When they chose a friend, their loyalty is very strong.

Honesty relates specially to Friendship. Honesty is commitment, truthfulness and being real to oneself, people around and the environment. As people are different, one can’t expect everyone to be honest or friendly. Honesty and friendship is dependent on loyalty. Let’s consider the story of Jonathan and David in the Bible. Jonathan as the King’s son helped his friend David escape when his father sought to kill the Shepherd boy. We can see from this story that love and trust superceded personal or family interests.

It’s hard to find loyal friends but being real or true to oneself will bring those who deserve our genuine trust and friendship.