Friendship Part 2 – Idealism

So now with geographical convenience out of the way, we can truly see who puts effort in to see us and vice versa, but where does this effort arise from. Why is it that we put effort into some and none into others? This is where differences between people come into play. This is, essentially, what makes you like someone. For me, one of the most important criteria is idealism. By idealism I simply mean the ability to think and discuss big.

It is seemingly a douchey word simply because of the “ism” suffix but essentially I am referring to one’s ability to have dreams, values and principles. It is important to always be dreaming, not in the sense of being overly delusional about goals but to rationally strive for achievable milestones - to slowly but surely walk ahead while never looking back.

Recently with friends we had a debate, more of a help circle, of what actions should be taken next to help a friend whose attitudes were completely haphazard. He identified a problem in his life and is seemingly willed to change it. Throwing ideas around, we all agreed that problems cannot simply be changed in a day, there is no such thing as turning around 180 degrees all of a sudden but instead progress must be undertaken. Small milestones that are achievable are far more productive than a massive unrealistic end goal that can never be reached. It is much easier to cross a river using stepping-stones than it is to leap across. In the same way, (this is from reading many articles) to-do lists should always contain small goals on paper so that each accomplishment is crossed off in triumph, furthering you towards completing the entire list of small goals, or rather, the larger goal. As well, it should always be on paper not on digital media, like phones, because then it becomes just another chore rather than a reminder. This process of turning large desires into small achievable pieces is a running motif throughout many facets of life but none the less more relevant as life goals.

Friends in my opinion should always be pushing forward, both themselves and you, and if you ever slack off or fall behind, their helping hands should reinspire and invigorate you to always better yourself. True friendship involves pushing each other along, almost like all those lame “teamwork” talks you hear while playing sport, or in all facets of life. Friends should be there to support your wins and losses but most importantly, to always motivate you to compete - regardless of the game.

The better friends though also should have dreams, ideas that invigorate thought and debate. Countless times have I been up at 4am discussing the craziest ideas whether it be 3D printers, extra-terrestrial life, metaphysics, breakthroughs in scientific discovery or even debating topical issues: ethical conundrums involving cloning, euthanasia, legal cases, science versus arts or religion. At the end of the day, this is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but the least you can ask from a friend is that they always be there for you, and promise to do the same in turn, for the single goal of bettering oneself and that is a key criteria I am sure everyone needs in friendship.

Reinvigorated stray thoughts as a result of my friend’s blog post so bye.