Alright, that’s all very nice. But let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s what Psychology Today author and Buddhist physician Alex Lickerman, M.D. had to say about friendship:
“The Japanese have a term, kenzoku , which translated literally means “family.” The connotation suggests a bond between people who’ve made a similar commitment and who possibly therefore share a similar destiny. It implies the presence of the deepest connection of friendship, of lives lived as comrades from the distant past.
Lauren’s soccer team, circa 1996(???). Many of the kids in this photo are still some of her closest friends, and also…skinny kid front and center with the bowl-cut ended up being her husband. So, okay. Shared history seems to be pretty effective at forging bonds…
But the old Licky’ gets a little….dare we say preachy? Or maybe just a little too…saintly, for our taste…when he goes on to describe what makes a person ‘worthy’ of the label ‘friend’:
Think about it—why are you drawn to some people and not to others?
We’re not so sure about this RIGID qualities. Maayan and Lauren have ideas that are a little more flexible, and subjective…such as those listed in Lauren’s “key qualities in friends” ponder.