The Value of Friendship

Over the past couple of weeks the topic of friendship is something that I have been thinking a lot about. What exactly it is and who is considered a friend. I have learned a lot through my pondering. In my psychology homework I stumbled upon a Japanese word that I think comes very close to a definition of friendship. The word is amae. The translation is: "the pleasant feeling of depending on someone else" or "the feeling of comfort in another person's acceptance." This may be different for different people but I believe that this adequately describes not only the question of what friendship is but also who true friends are. Family members can be friends. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to have correspondence with many, but unfortunately not all, of my friends whether it be a small sentence on facebook or a conversation via phone or otherwise. I am so grateful for my friends. They do give me that comforting feeling that I feel is needed for survival. As stated in the translation, it really is a pleasant feeling brought on by feeling accepted. Without pleasant experiences in life, a depressed soul is bound to be the outcome of a simple day. Life is meant for happiness; therefore, life is meant for friendship. I would do anything for my friends. I would die for them because of the huge blessing that they are in my life. To my family, past schoolmates, current schoolmates, mission friends, the amazing people that I met on my mission, my church friends, and any others that I may have missed, thank you and I love you.

Comments

Whitney said…
Love you too bud!!! You are a true friend too and I am grateful for everything you have done for me and your example. Can't wait to see you and get a "Brady Hug".
November 9, 2010 at 8:23 PM
The Sayer Family said…
Im lovin' this post. YAY for good friends. One's who are there through the good times and the bad times. Love you!
November 10, 2010 at 1:05 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#6 Move On

Topic #6: Your Going To/Never Going To Move Away Because... In my dreams, I live in a quaint loft in New York City. That is, before I move into my penthouse on the upper-east side of Manhattan. Not to mention a beach hose in LA. In my reality, I have lived in Wyoming and Arizona and even a few months in Europe and I still find myself back in my hometown. So what do I actually want? I'm not entirely sure. I love being in my hometown. It's familiar. I have my parents here. My sisters are a short drive away. We can all get together every so often...ya know, like families do. When I moved to Wyoming to follow a job, however, there was a sense of finally becoming an adult. I was on my own. Completely responsible for myself, and I did so successfully until my company laid me off and hung me out to dry. The one major drawback of that time was not being around family for holidays. I blame the weather and the company I worked for. The actual being away part wasn't too bad....
Read more

Back to Reality

This past week has been a little more eye opening. I guess the big thing is all about my grades. Throughout the semester, prior to this week, I have somehow kept my averages in all of my classes above a 90%. I am amazed because usually my work ethic is below average. I am proud to say that this semester has been different. I have done all of my homework on time. Now to this past week. I have still completed all of my assignments on time but a few of my grades have taken a hit. In my science class, I found out that an assignment that we do on a weekly basis was not receiving any points for med, in fact, I was getting zeros in that category. Upon talking with the teacher, I found out that I turned them in to the wrong place and that he could give me partial credit but not full credit. After multiple conversations, emails, and a little note of displeasure via our learning journals, I have managed to get the grade from a D+ at the beginning of the week to a solid B. Much better ...
Read more