Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Right to Expression....Friendship

Friendships make a full life.
A close friend is someone who understands you.

Friendship is a choice, which means that we may
choose a good friend or a bad friend.
Like love, friendship is a gamble of trust.

Society's pressure to have friends has always existed,
whether in a small town of the past or today's planet-wide 'social' media.
As with all Rights to a Right-full Life, one always has the choice
of this right, that is, a person has the right to not have friends, too,
and this choice should be upheld by the Right to Respect.

I declare the Right to Friendship.


So many people have made statements about Friendship!
 Here is a long list, courtesy of Brainy Quotes, where Friendship is a main category.

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.Aristotle
Friendship is one mind in two bodies.Mencius
Friendship needs no words – it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.Dag Hammarskjold
Friendship… is not something you learn in school.
But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.Muhammad Ali
I always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing.Katherine Mansfield
I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod;
my shadow does that much better.Plutarch
I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.Thomas A. Edison
I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend
who for me does not consult his calendar.Robert Brault
If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought
into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.George MacDonald
If it’s very painful for you to criticize your friends – you’re safe in doing it. But if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that’s the time to hold your tongue.Alice Duer Miller
In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.Albert Schweitzer
It is important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them,
and important to friendship that we are not.Mignon McLaughlin
It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us,
as the confidence of their help.Epicurus
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.Ralph Waldo Emerson
It takes a long time to grow an old friend.John Leonard
It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.Marlene Dietrich
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners
 who make our souls blossom.Marcel Proust
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.Oprah Winfrey
Many a person has held close, throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference.Emil Ludwig
Mighty proud I am that I am able to have a spare bed for my friends.Samuel Pepys
Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.Plautus
One’s friends are that part of the human race
with which one can be human.George Santayana
She is a friend of mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It’s good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.Toni Morrison
Silences make the real conversations between friends.
Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts.Margaret Lee Runbeck
Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends,
never lose a chance to make them.Francesco Guicciardini
The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.William Blake
The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.Elbert Hubbard
The language of friendship is not words but meanings.Henry David Thoreau
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.Henry David Thoreau
The only way to have a friend is to be one.Ralph Waldo Emerson
The real test of friendship is: can you literally do nothing with the other person?
Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?Eugene Kennedy
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized
than true friendship.Saint Thomas Aquinas
True friends stab you in the front.Oscar Wilde
We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.Joseph Roux
When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do.
Think up something appropriate and do it.Edward W. Howe
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and
touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.Henri Nouwen


My thanks to all these people who have experienced and lived friendships
over the centuries--I couldn't say it better!


Revision:  thanks to commenters T., Y.A.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with all the rights to friendship. I can honestly say that I have a lot of friends and making a new friend is second nature. However, there are only three people I know that I can call a true friend and each one of them can't be more different than the other. Lorain, Nesly, and Victoria. I love these girls simply because they never let me into their lives as a friend but as a sister. They're really the only people I can never get board of because just being around them is a joy.
M.D.L.

Tomma said...

There have been times in my life when I didn't have any friends, so I am very thankful that I have some now. However I think, if we need the right to friendship, we also need the right to have no friends. Nowadays the social pressure to have friends is even greater than the social pressure to have a boyfriend/ girlfriend.

Anonymous said...

Friendship is a right I believe in. I have been to a lot in life,if it wasn't for god and my friends I couldn't make it. They were there for me always,anytime .I'm very grateful for those angels god put in my path to show me the way .I'm always there for them anytime. They are my family and I love them .They make life easier to bare.cJJ

Anonymous said...

"When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier". Unfortunately I haven't chosen the correct friends and at the end they have stab me in the back. I believe you could have friend to go out and chit chat, but you should never confine your secrets to a "friend" because you never know what could happen tomorrow, and today it could be your best friend and tomorrow your worse enemy, especially here in miami where people are really fake.
Y.A

Anonymous said...

This may probably be one of my favorite rights. I don't know if there is anything more comforting than knowing there is a friend you can trust and confide in and laugh and be silly with. Friendship is something everyone needs in their lives. And it's not necessary to have a dozen friends, but a couple, even if it's only one, that you know is a true friend. That is true happiness. People can talk about how nobody is a friend and there is no one to trust. Those people have to stop being bitter and sincerely be open to having a friend. Not everybody is bad, there are still some good people out there.

BS

Anonymous said...

The right to friendship is something everyone must have. A friend is somebody you can count on, is a supporter and is a defender. Having a friend makes me feel great. I have only one friend since 21 years ago and I love him very much. During these years, I am sure that I couldn’t find a better friend in my life. He has always been with me, he gives me what I need and don’t need, I feel loved and I can love others. Being a friend is sacrificing for the well being of your friend, which makes you feel joyful. GLT

Anonymous said...

Whodini, A hip-hop Artist rapped a song called "Friends" Which to me personally will describe my feelings about this right. So forgive me if I don't elaborate on this topic with my own words, but these lyrics will describe it best! Please enjoy these lyrics!

Chuck F.

Friends - Written and Performed by Whodini

How many of us have them?
Friends
Ones we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends*

Is a word we use everyday
Most the time we use it in the wrong way
Now you can look the word up, again and again
But the dictionary doesnt know the meaning of friends

And if you ask me, you know, I couldnt be much help
Because A friend is somebody you judge for yourself
Some are ok, and they treat you real cool
But some mistake kindness for being a fool

We like to be with some, because they're funny
Others come around when they need some money
Some you grew up with, around the way
And you're still real close too this very day

Homeboys through the Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall
And then there's some we wish we never knew at all
And this list goes on, again and again
But these are the people that we call friends

When we first went out together, we barely knew each other
We had no intentions, on becoming lovers
But in no time at all, you became my girl
Me and you, one on one, against the world
Talkin on the telephone for hours at a time
Or else I was at your house, or you was at mine
Then came the arguements and all kinds of problems
Besides making love, we had nothing in common
It couldnt last long because it started out strong
But I guess we went about the whole thing wrong
Cause out of nowhere it just came to an end
Because we became lovers before we were friends

*Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Ones we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, let's be
Friends*

You say you and your girlfriend were so tight
You took her out with you and your guy one night
She even had a set of keys to your home
And you shared mostly everything you owned

But as she shook your hand, she stole your man
And it was done so swift, it had to be a plan
Couldn't trust her with cheese, let alone your keys
With friends like that you dont need enemies

You wonder how long it was all going on
And your still not sure if your man is gone
You say, well if she took him he was never mine
But deep inside you know thats just another lie

And now you're kinda cold to the people you meet
Cause of something that was done to you by some creep
But nevertheless, I'll say it again
That these are the people that we call friends

*Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxni-FM-UVA&feature=related

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to friendship. However friendship can be differentiated into different categories. Some friends may be childhood, school or personal. I have two childhood school friends for over 35 years and they are important to me. When we sit and talk, we reminisce and feel so good about it. My other friends are personal and they are my best friends. They are my son and my spouse. They never let me down whether it is in good times or bad times. They will never see me go down the wrong road, and I could at all times depend on them. Remember a friend in need is a friend indeed. RR

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right of friendship. I sometimes feel thou society confuse the term friend. I feel sometimes people think true friend or the greater number of friends they have in Facebook is really the number of friends they truly have in life. I feel a true friend comes in small numbers and I can maybe count less then the fingers on my right hand of the true friends I might have. Also, friendships does not only come from humans only, it could be from a pet. My dogs are the most loyal, faithful, and give me the most unconditional love I have ever recieved. Furthermore, my true friends are very few and I know they will stick around in good times and bad; I am truly thankful to have them. I always had a say about friendships... "A true friend will bail you out of prision, help you move a body, and take a bullet for you." Would any of your facebook friends do that for you?

Anonymous said...

the above message was written by KP

Anonymous said...

Friendship is very precious. You know you had a true friend, if they die and you miss spending time with them. I lost my best friend to a heart attack in 2006. Since that time I have been searching for someone to replace her, but no one can replace the relationship we had together. There is always something missing from the new friendship. Friendship is when you know that you have someone that will listen, share and spend valuable time with you. Now, I have to think about “whom” I can share “what” with. Friendship is about trust and I have not found another girlfriend I trust the same as I trusted Mildred. I believe in the right to friendship. I miss my friend, Mildred. May she rest in peace.

Anonymous said...

The above message was written by RhW.

Anonymous said...

The Right to Friendship is a beautiful right. I can't think of anything in this world next to my family that I cherish more than my friends. They say you can't pick your family but you can pick your friends. Although I only have a handful of friends that I consider "true friends" that has been more than enough for me. My friends are all so different yet each of them bring something into my life that I treasure. I understand that one also has the right to choose not to have friends, but I am grateful for every single one of the ones I do have.-KKP

Anonymous said...

Friendship is just one more thing that keeps us sane. In order to maintain a rational mind, most of the time we need people around us to give us an understanding of what is right and wrong. Friendship keeps us entertained, keeps us from drifting into others thoughts caused by boredom, even though friendship is helpful, it can also harm you, if you surround yourself with the wrong people.
AG

muaath alheji said...

It is a right for us as humans to have friends for we were created as inherently sociable. We do need friends to count on, interact with and have close to us. M.A.
( Muaath Alheji )

Anonymous said...

We all need friendships in our lives, some more than others. Friendship comes in many ways, it can be a pet, a person, just someone you have that makes you be yourself and makes you happy at the worst moments. For me that is my boyfriend which is the only person I talk to about anything and everything. Who is yours? Cd884

Anonymous said...

I happen to have many "friends" but very few that I'm all that close with. My personal experience has been that I usually reserve the most intimate friendship with my significant other. It may be a trust issue or what have you, but they have been my closest friends. After that, I've also found that as I get older I've developed close friendships with my mother and brother. I'm not one for trying to be Mr. Popular, I prefer to keep a small circle. Cbereng

Anonymous said...

As we grow, our friendships become fewer and far between. However, as we mature, the quality of our friendships becomes stronger. I can categorize only a few people as my true friends. Mostly everyone else I would consider only acquaintances. A true friend is someone who will be there for you no matter what the situation is. Someone you can count on, trust and will not judge you. An acquaintance is someone to have fun with laugh with and get along with. I value my friendships and I am thankful for them.
~TP~

Anonymous said...

True friendship is a valuable gift. Many people including myself may count true friends with one hand. Being selective about the people I trust and let into my personal life is a personal credo as I consider true friends as an extended family, and I would do everything for them.
*NG*

Anonymous said...

I do support and believe in the right to friendship. True friend are a gift from above and we should always value and treasure them. I grew up with the same group of girl since pre kinder to high school and even though now we all live in different countries we still in contact either by phone, email, getting together during vacation, etc. It is wonderful to know that it does not matter what, when, where or how many years had gone by we still have each others to laugh, to cry, to talk, or just to be listened. In resume friendship is a commitment and the only way to have a true friend is to be one. Two thumbs up for friends.
Cyn.U

LXC said...

The right to friendship is one of the most important things you can have in life. However, I think it should be changed to the right to REAL friendship. Being able to share your experiences and have a true friend for support is so valuable. True friendship can be the key to true happiness.

Anonymous said...

I believe in The Right to Friendship.Friendships in my opinion is very healthy for a person to have.It's always nice to have those friends who you can trust.Jp

Anonymous said...

Friendship is key. My loneliness during time away from the place where I was born was always uplifted by the words of a single friend. It never mattered the advice or solutions he could offer me. What only mattered was that he was always there, with empathy. A right to a healthy life can only be fulfilled through having the friend to share it with, the good and the bad. js

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, society truly has pressured friendship upon us. People include friendship as a need to be happy, and I disagree with that. Friendship doesn't have the same value or meaning that it once did. To me, the only true friendship is between my family and I.
-A.Q-

Anonymous said...

When I was younger I had so many friends. Or so I thought I had a lot of friends. As the years have passed, I have realized that we do have the Right to Friendship and have the right to choose good friends and bad friends. I have chosen only my good friends. From the many friends I had, only one I can consider a true and honest friend through good times and bad times. So I say, choose good friends, there are not too many of them in your life. JENS

Anonymous said...

Friends are a necessary part of life. They are the people that you can share secrets with. The people that you can trust with anything that you tell. Sometimes, you find out that the friends that you chose to confine in are not reliable friends. That is why one has to chose friends delicately. GIM

Anonymous said...

I strongly agree with this right because I know that if it were not for the few friends I have, I would not be pushing forward. I also know what it is like to lose a friend and there is no greater pain than that. Friends help us back up when life knocks us down. In friendships there is a deeper understanding that goes past the surface of what others see. I would gladly help out a friend without his/her permission because that is just how important friendships are.
-LZ

Anonymous said...

Friendship is a necessity of life. If a person has a real true friendship relationship in their life they should consider themselves very lucky. In society today people have trust issues and are reluctant to give their true feelings to others.
I believe in The Right to Friendship
DH63

Anonymous said...

I believe in the Right to Friendship. It is very important to have friends. I have had a friend for over thirty years and even though we do not talk every day, when we do, it is as if time had never passed. That is a true friend. We all make mistakes because there is no perfect friend. Sometimes they may disappoint us however; their heart is in the relationship. Friends are inspirational and we admire their character because that is what makes us friends. DS

Anonymous said...

Friendship is what gives you life. Friendship is what makes life. Without friendship, your parents would have never met. Friendship allows you to be yourself, allows you to love, to be happy. Who wouldn't want Friendship? Although it is a choice, everyone deserves that true friend.
-PCR.

Anonymous said...

Everyone has friends around them, but only a few are true friends. True friends are the ones that are there for you through the good times and the bad times. You can spends years apart and when you reunite it will feel like no time has passed. A true friend will not judge you and will always listen to you. Everyone has the right and they should have at least one true friend. LV

Anonymous said...

Everybody deserves to have friends and we all deserve to have enemies. The right to friendship is a great right but it should also have a bylaw against those who betray the friendship. There are too many so called friends that are just waiting for their friends to make the smallest mistake so that they can stab them in their backs and take advantage of their friendship. Friendship is very dangerous and we have to be really careful whom to trust and call them friend. I personally had a bad experience with a friend and after that incident 10 years ago my only friends are my wife and I, other than that they are just coworkers and school friends.CMP

Anonymous said...

There is an old saying that “we can choose our friends but not our relatives.” By contrast, another old saying states that “blood is thicker than water.” Two very different points of view. Is one more important than the other? By choice we come to the aid of a friend and by tradition we side with a relative. Does that mean that a relative cannot be a friend? I believe that the Right to Friendship is indeed a choice and whether the friend is related by blood or not is irrelevant. There is not much more that can I add to that which has already been expressed in the Brainy Quotes for all these sentiments embodies the true meaning of friendship. VMR

Anonymous said...

I have a long time friendship with four women which started in 1981 and last until today so obviously it is a right that I totally agree with. In my personal opinion friendship is one of the things that everyone should have; I just one to tell you one of lots examples that I could use to support my point. As I said before, we are five friends, one of them live in Spain and the others three remain in Cuba. My younger sister gave birth to twins in 2009, I was here, but my friends were there for her in the same way I would have been. They supported my family in every step of the process, and I was so relieved because I have these incredible friends that never let me down. Paraphrasing Henri Nouwen, they choose share my pain and touch my wounds with warm and tender hand; although they also give me advices and sometimes solutions to my problems. ML

Anonymous said...

The Right to Friendship is a beautiful right. In life there are times when our own family turns away from us but then we have those faithful friends that truly stay with us regardless of the circumstances. Being able to achieve having quality friends is a wonderful feeling. NOBRA

Anonymous said...

Whether it be the friendship between you and your inner self, a spouse, family member or just a person you meet that you tend to get along with; friendship is a great way to establish a state of trust. It feels great to be able to come to someone in tears and pour your feelings out to them and they bring a smile back to your face. Friendship is an amazing bond and regardless of whether or not people decide to condone in friendships it is a great way to express yourself and have someone that understands and can give you advice on situations. So I declare the right to a lovely bond called friendship.
VA

Anonymous said...

I support the right to friendship. I don’t know friendship well. I moved around most of my life. The longest and only real friends I have are either people I know and have kept in touch with since I was 8, or a couple folks at work. My family is my friend and the acquaintances I have made through life fill my days with purpose. Stay true to those that stay true to you. CTK

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with this right. Friendship to me is very important. I have been hurt plenty of times but all those times I have learned to appreciate. I have had the same best friend since I have been 11 years old without her I would not know were I would be. Also as time goes by I have learned without family and friends I would not be where I am today. I give thanks to having friends they have helped me become a stronger person.

SB

Anonymous said...

Friendship is so universal that it's easy to see why it should be codified as a right. Plus, other people could be separated into family, friend, or enemy, and it'd be a pretty awful world where you only had your family and enemies.

-DenisA

Anonymous said...

The right to friendship is a very interesting right. By itself it is very simple and easily understood. However, I believe that few truly know what it is to have a friend and most important of all how to be a friend. The passage shows many people’s view on what a friend truly is. It is true that everyone has the right to have a friend, but I believe that it is better to have one friend that truly understands you and respects you than to have any number of bad friends or what I call acquaintances.

R.A.T.Jr.

Anonymous said...

I do believe in the right to friendship. I think that we should have the right and freedom to choose who our friends are going to be. Many times are friends are chosen for us and are right is taken away. I also think that we should have the right to not have friendship or friends. Even though it is a good thing to have friends not everybody enjoys the company of others and would rather not have friends.
C.Munoz

Anonymous said...

Even though many people may not agree with me. Friends are essential for life. Friends do not have to be people you meet but can also be family. Friends help you in every way they can and in most cases that is family. Best friends can also be found in a boyfriend that you have been with for a long time. You learn and grow to care about the other and look for their best inerests at heart even if you may not benefit from it. You find common interests in friends and they help you get through tough times and help you cope.-NR

Anonymous said...

I could not imagine my life without my friends. They make me laugh when I’m down, they give me advice when I need it, and are always there. I have learned so much from each one of my friends, I can only hope I contribute the same to the friendship. Sure, I have had friends that have not met my standards and have shown to be untrustworthy but there are others that have been extremely loyal.SG

Anonymous said...

I think we all should have the right to friendship and to choose whether you want to have friends or not. Personally, I believe that the best friends you could ever find are your siblings. I love my sisters to death, and they are my true friends. They have been there for me unconditionally and I respect the loyalty the have given me for years, that loyalty and trust that is so rare to find. ME

Anonymous said...

Friendship is a choice. It is a chemistry or an attraction between two or more people. It is something we all need in our life. We don’t need to have a lot of friends, a few good ones is enough. I have been blessed with two true friends and I am very thankful for that.
Torpedo179

TrustMeImADoctor said...

Okay, from the moment I read "The Right to Friendship" I was baffled, the horrific truth is that I do not have anyone I call best friend. There are those who came into my life and honestly molded who I was through the expanse of time. But honestly, if I was getting married tomorrow, I would ask my brother to be my best man. He has always been there for me, and sure we fight on a daily basis, but I'm glad to have him. The right to have real friends who will be there, or know what to say in times they couldn't is truly more of a blessing then a right.

Anonymous said...

The right to friendship. When you first read it seems like such a easy blog to comment on but I can go on for days. We defiantly have the right to choose our friends. It’s sad to say that some of us even young adult’s choose other people and claim them as our friends just because we have no one around. And some people claim they are your friends but really aren’t. So how do you know who your real friends are and should you even choose them? To me, my only friends are my family member’s. There the only one’s that will stick through me until thick and thin. AFF

Anonymous said...

Friendship is probably one of the best things a person can experience while in this world. Friendship means having someone that can understand you, and can understand why you did something. It is the person you call when you know no one else will understand you, yet somehow this best friend will. Friendship is a gift that is given, it is our to chose who the right friend can be.

-DBM

Anonymous said...

What is a life without friends? A sad one in my opinion, friends are an essential ingredient in the recipe of life. Friends help you grow, they help you by listening, sharing, caring and even sometimes hit you with some hard truth but we need that. Friends you can choose family you cannot so you know that if a friend sticks around it is because they really genuinely love you. A friend should never want to change you maybe alter you a tad but for your own benefit but not change who you are. I cannot imagine my life without friends I have been blessed with amazing people sent from God to help me through this journey. SG

Anonymous said...

All those wonderful quotes have said it all. There is nothing else to say, that I could say myself. Friends are like a dollar in your pocket my grandfather said. Lose it and you have no friends. Having friends is not difficult, choosing the right one is the challenge. Choose right and it will last a lifetime! YYD

GT said...

I have not lived nearly enough, but I feel complete because every year of my life has been marked by a person who took his/her time to make my life worthwhile. The right to Friendship its a life right, its something we one way or another are entitled to. Because whether is a good, bad, intense, endless friendship, each of them teach us something, and they are the ones that shape our lives, that shape our thoughts. I still have a long way to go, to see if I can call someone my old friend, but I hope those that have touched my soul and heart stay forever.

Anonymous said...

The right to friendship is an important right. Being social and having friends makes you more open and allows you to share your feelings and opinions with another person. But the right to not engage in friendship is included too, some people prefer to be alone. One must not judge but respect the right to friendship... mlv...

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to friendship. A true friend is someone who you can be yourself with, and understands what you are feeling without the need of words. I think many people can agree, that they only have a handful of true friends.
-LizR