Friendship

The mystery and beauty of friendship has been the subject of songs and verses, as well as the more structured explorations of philosophers, since ancient times.

Friendship is free from all calculation and requires nothing in return beyond the opportunity to express itself.

All lives are bound to other living beings through the need to share the finite resources of a given environment. Interdependence and co-operation are facts of life. Networks of conscious co-operation, facilitated largely through language, are said to have played an especially prominent role in human survival to date. What distinguishes friendship among our myriad social relations is that it is "technically" not necessary. Yet it is a vital factor in the wellbeing of individuals and the smooth functioning of business, communities and even the conduct of international relations. While the elective nature of friendship may vary, friendship is still, compared to our other myriad human relations, centrally distinguished by choice. Friendship grows from the simple sense of liking a person, wanting to share their company and desiring their happiness.