Values of Friendship

I have been struggling about what to write about given the over arching theme of friendship lately and have come to a point of looking at what I value in a friendship.  I value commitment, love, acceptance, compassion, understanding, sympathy and empathy.  I hope that I am a friend that also brings these values to each relationship that I am in.

What I found quite interesting is, I went on wikipedia and there was quite a long entry for "Friendship".  It was interesting to find the following entry on the values found in friendships:

Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating the following on a consistent basis:

• The tendency to desire what is best for the other
• Sympathy and empathy
• Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
• Mutual understanding and compassion
• Trust in one another (able to express feelings - including in relation to the other's actions - without the fear of being judged); able to go to each other for emotional support
• Positive reciprocity - a relationship is based on equal give and take between the two parties.

I will continue to focus on trying to be a better friend and living up to the values outlined above.