Be a friend to have one

Oasis

“No man is an island,” is a well-known cliché. None among us is happy for long without a human company.

 

The misanthrope is but an exception.

Man is happy, mostly, only in the company of friends.

 

This being a universal truth fails to be translated into a universal phenomenon.

The reality is that modern man has more enemies than comrades, a larger circle of false friends than true supporters and a whole bunch of digital companions than dear relationships. 

The startling consequence of this antagonistic scenario is at the root of a hostile and broken world.

 

Undoing this scenario calls for an earnest effort from all of humanity to go on a war footing to make friends out of his fellow human being. 

 

The onus here is on every one. When making friends is at the heart of all and followed as a common life philosophy the floodgates to kinship and warmth open wide welcoming all into its fold.

 

For those many among us, who grope in the dark to find answers to the question on how to win friends, Douglas E Lurton, a writer of motivational books advocated the following seven-day plan to win friends.

 

On the first day, write a letter – write to an old friend or a new acquaintance. Make it a friendly, chatty and personal letter.

 

On the second day, smile at every acquaintance you greet on the street or at work. Try to say a few words of praise to at least one person.

 

On the third day, say something kind to every close associate you see.

 

On the fourth day, call up someone you have just met and would like to know better and extend an invitation to lunch.

 

On the fifth day, find someone who is not very popular and pay a lot of attention to him or her.

On the sixth day, carry on a conversation with a stranger – a waiter, a waitress, a bus driver, a cab driver, a train conductor.

 

If possible, praise something that person has done.

 

On the seventh day, encourage two people to talk about themselves. Say little about yourself. Get the others to talk.

 

This seven-day approach to making friends, he says, is something that though might seem calculating is necessary, for most men are reserved and that is a hindrance to making friends.

Making as many friends as possible is one of life’s most rewarding skills. A friendly person is welcome anywhere. He becomes an instant hero.

He is like the golden beam of light that breaks through grey clouds dispelling darkness.

 

And this skill can simply be developed by paying heed to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, “The only way to have a friend is to be a friend.”