Friendship is an impetus that remains unchanged with the change of the situations. Cultivate friendship. It cost nothing. It is one of the costliest treasure in life. Friend is one who stays through it all- inconceivable hard or pleasant situations.
“To a friend’s house the way is never long.”
IN THESE unfortunate times when a sacrosanct relationship like neighbourliness is being rendered as a superfluous topic, it’s really an uphill task to do a serious write-up on this subject. In most of the modern metropolis life is not so conducive to the old-style friendship and neighbourhood doesn’t mean the same as it once used to be. Today, we don’t know each other. We are reluctant to develop contacts even on such serious occasions as birth and death. We have unlearnt that ‘hospitality’ is one of the great custom of our culture and we are losing it as we are emulating the Western cultures.
Neighbours are not just the people we know – they could be real friends. They should be the real friends. Did we ever miss good friends? Of course, everyone does. Did we try to become good friends? No, why should we take the initiative always? It is a courageous act to break the ice. If you do that it demonstrates you have strong will power; you are superior. Most of the human beings enjoy having friends; everyone loves sensible small talks; everyone is feeling loneliness sometimes somewhere. It’s okay if you break the ice. Just smile when you see your neighbour; just say hello; just tell weather is nice today, if it’s really nice. Just ask how is life. Just tell his shirt is stylish or looks stylish; just praise the hair-style. He or she will open-up the flood gates from personal emotional bank – ‘Mother has been operated few days back; kid is doing well in the school; plumber is not available in two thousand meters.” There is always so much to share, there is always so much to talk. Make time for friendship !
It’s an well known secret that good friends are akin to ‘electricity’ or ‘running water’. You only realise their importance when you miss them. Good neighbours as friends make our life pleasant. They inspire us to recognise our own individuality and our importance as a responsible member of society. Don’t wait for them to become good friends. Go ahead. Shake hands or least say ‘nameste’ or “salam alaikum’. It cost nothing. Cultivate friendship. It is one of the costliest treasure in life. Remember that a good friend is one who stays through it all – business losses, job-retrenchments, home-collapses, new-babies, new-jobs, new-homes and newest inconceivable hard or pleasant situations. Friendship is an impetus that remains unchanged with the change of the situations.
While making new friends, do not forget the old friends if they are still alive. Always remember that nothing makes most of the friendship fade away than never talking and seeing each other. There may be some exceptions while some bonds would survive long span of silences. Most aren’t. If you have a friend and you cherish his / her friendship, find out time for a phone-call at least.
To my readers I would suggest: Do not rush in the pursuit of hedonistic materialism. You need not climb the n-th floor of a skyscrapper to see the beauty of the sea. Savor the delicious bhelpuri or just buy a packet of chikki from the local train and lounge a day off at Girgaum Chowpatty. The undulating waves are nearer and more frothy to look at. Pay few rupees for the tel-malish and you could be the envy for the richest man in the world.
No flying off the tangent, this morning, I was terribly moved when I read the tribute paid by Madonna to Michael Jackson.
“For one reason or another we fell out of touch, then the witch hunt began and it seemed like one story after another came out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and not able to defend yourself because the roar of the witch hunt is so loud you’re convinced your voice can never be heard.”
She spoke of her emotions when she heard that Jackson had died.
“When I first heard that Michael had died I was in London, days away from the opening of my tour. Michael was supposed to perform in the same venue as me a week later, all I could think about in that moment was I had abandoned him, that we had abandoned him, that we had allowed this magnificent creature who once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all busy passing judgment, most of us had turned our backs on him. Sometimes, we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them… There will never be anyone like him ever again, he was a king. Long live the king,” she added.
It was so sad that Michael Jackson did build the ‘Neverland Estate’ but failed to make true friends who could have come when he was down in the dumps.
True friendship demands that you have to be in his / her corner when they are not there to defend themselves.
