We need our friends

We All Need Friends

For a people, friends is:

- A friend is someone you can talk to freely about anything, someone you can call any time of the day.

- A friend understands when you’re hurt and feels the same things inside that you do.

Friendship is still as vital to the human spirit as food and water are to the human body. Yet, for many, satisfying this basic need for friendship is difficult. Loneliness is common. They cite such factors as widespread mobility, people changing residence frequently, impersonal, crime-ridden cities, and the substitution of television and home videotape-viewing for face-to-face community life.

Modern life also spreads our time and energy thin. With potentially hundreds of acquaintances crowding our lives, it can be difficult to focus on individuals long enough to develop and sustain deep friendships.

Even in places where not long ago the pace of life was less hectic, social conditions are changing rapidly. In the haste of the times, friendships can get relegated to a lower priority.

But our need for friends remains acute. Young people in particular feel this need. Young or old, we all need happy and meaningful friendships. And despite the challenges, there is much we can do to make and keep real friends.