It has been really hard for me to figure out how to write about my crewmates. I don’t know how to explain that they were very mean but not mean. I wrote an essay for school about Friendship and how to have good friendships, and I think it will help provide some explanation and context for you reading about my crewmates.
Opening
“The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships” (Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Joseph Gillespie, 13 July 1849). Your friends are the ones there for you in hard times. They are the ones who make you laugh. Really good friends become like family, and they are the ones who keep you going. To have really good friends, you must work hard to maintain relationships.
Friendship Requires Effort
To be really good friends with someone, you have to put effort into building and maintaining your friendship. You must make time to build your relationship; you can’t ignore them because you are “busy.” You also have to be able to listen as well as speak because a good friend does not only talk about themselves. “Friendship is not always convenient. It always requires the giving of oneself.” (No specific author, Moment’s Pause, pg 146). “When we run short on friendship, it might be because we are not willing to devote our energies to it. We simply assume it will happen, but it doesn’t. We must be interested in other people, which requires time, effort, and concern.” (No specific author, Moments Pause, pg 143) Having close friends is key to staying mentally healthy; to do that, you have to care about the other person and show that.
Honesty Is Needed
Hiding things will become obvious and can really damage a friendship. It’s not good to constantly be annoyed at your friend; if something ticks you off, just talk about it. Talking about your life with honesty is also good. You can’t just pretend that everything is fine all the time because it never is for anyone! But don’t be overly honest. While being honest with your friends is good, keeping rude things to yourself is better. Don’t tell them if you don’t like their dinner or bathroom soap! Just let it slide because they can’t make everything perfect for you. If you need to talk you your friend, find the right time. It would be hard to have an honest conversation if you were on a roller coaster. Asking to make time to talk is a good idea. Being honest can be scary, but that is okay. You might worry that being honest will end the friendship. Don’t worry! Good friends will be okay with being authentic and honest. If your friends are not interested in being real with you, they might not be great people to be friends with.
Sometimes, You Need To Find New Friends
“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great people make you believe that you, too, can become great.” (Mark Twain as quoted by Gay Zenola MacLaren, Morally We Roll Along, Pg 66) Being careful of who your friends are will be really beinficial to you. The people you hang out with will rub off on you and change how you act. Choosing friends who are kind, well-rounded people will help you become a kind, well-rounded person. Sometimes friends change into different people, and are no longer worth hanging out with them. It may feel hard to cut off ties with people who once were your friends, but if they bring you down and make you feel bad, they are definitely not worth your time and friendship.
Conclusion
Despite all the work needed to have good friendships, there is much gain and reward. Putting time into being honest and good friends is so much more fun than having a basic friendship. Having really good friends will make your life full of joy and meaning. Hopefully, you have many good friends and will keep them forever!
Soon after this post I will try to post my post about my crew mates. I hope reading this will help you understand them better. 🙂