Friendliness

I was sort of paranoid and silly since my freshman year in university regarding the process of friend making. I would stop hanging out with someone if there was one thing I couldn't tolerate about this person. Gradually I had fewer and fewer friends. This situation was worsened after graduation as I had less opportunity to meet new people except for my new colleagues.

There have been some people with whom I might have been friendly but I decided not to due to certain gossips and rumors about these people. Even though those gossips and rumors may be true and may serve as some sort of guidelines in dealing with these people, I shouldn't have reached my conclusion about them without actually knowing these people.

Maybe a person that is not faithful in a relationship can be a friend. Maybe a person that sleeps with different people every day can be a friend. Maybe a person that has a job that I don't like can be a friend. Maybe a person that is too conceited can be a friend. Maybe a person that has a crush on your lover can be a friend. I have been limiting myself as to whom I could be friendly with, and I ended up being on friendly terms with almost nobody.

Friends with different point of views are important and inspiring. They can offer me a different perspective on things and help me see what I don't see. Friends with the same point of views are reassuring and easy to get along. These two types of friends are both necessary, especially the ones with a different point of view.

Although one can be defined by the people he hangs out with, one can also NOT be influenced by the people he hangs out with. Regardless, it is always a merit to spread the good influence, and also learn something positive from friends.

No man is an island. A healthy mentality is established with the help of positive human interactions. I should be more acceptive. I should hold less prejudice against people I don't really know. I should try to be friendly.

You can only conclude if you like a person or not after knowing one or two things about this person, but there's usually something more about a person that you don't know. Maybe the next stranger you come across will have the answers to some of your questions.

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