Without experiencing personal pain, there would be no bases for expressing reciprocal compassion.

Friendship, resembling art and philosophy, is an aspects of life that adds meaning to existence, because you can share in some else’s life, their pains, and joys. The beauty of a friendship is the silences, where you do not need to ask or explain; a friend can just be there in our finest hours or in our times of grief and bereavement.

A person does not want to lead or follow their friends. Friendship implies a close association, a sharing amongst equals. The difficulty in maintaining a friendship is that no two people are equal, and at some point, one person must concede part of their pride in order to maintain the relationship that is growing lopsided in power or prestige.

One reason we lose friends is that oftentimes we must push off in different directions in order to attain the ultimate visage of ourselves. Comparable to ships sailing across a robust sea, we might share a common bearing with a friend, until we sail away seeking dissimilar ports of call.

We live mindfully by harvesting evocative scenes to pay attention to including the mountains and oceans, flowers and trees, love and friendship, music and literature, art and poetry.

We might respect a serious person with an austere and rigid personality, but we adore merry, kindhearted, and artistic people.