Running Head: Friendship

Friendship

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Friendship

The ethical obligations of nurturing soul friendships include familiarity. Friendship

according to Aristotle should not be just about good will but it should involve affection. Good

will, according to him, can arise on the spur of the moment and does create a good foundation for

soul friendships. Emerson on the other hand describes familiarity by stating that constructing

friendships quickly is risky for their growth. They should be about the tough fibers of the heart

and not just abrupt decisions to create deep friendships (Pakaluk, 1991).

Friends should also offer constructive criticism to one another for their friendship to last

and be special. Aristotle claims that as long as friends enjoy each other’s goodness, they should

also not go wrong or let their friends go wrong. You should not allow your friend to go wrong.

Everything that endures can be trusted. Trust is the foundation of friendship and for its

steadfastness and loyalty, trust must be paramount. Friends should also offer pleasure or enjoy

themselves when with their friends. If the friendship is not pleasant or lacks comradeship, then it

is bound to fail (Pakaluk, 1991).

Charity is also an obligation of good friendship. The willingness of a person to serve the

friend expresses the affection he or she has to the friend. Friendship is all about giving oneself to

the other and not expecting to receive anything in return. In soul friendships, individuals will do

extreme things for their friends which they could never do for themselves. This is the deepness

of friendship. Friendship should also include justice and virtues to each other (Pakaluk, 1991).

True friendship, or soul friendship, asks for too from the friends. This kind of affection I

only get from my family. I remember however as a small kindergarten pupil I had such a friend
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with whom we shared everything. We completely trusted each other and could do anything for

each other. We got angry at each other if any of us did something wrong. It was special.
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References

Pakaluk, M. (1991). Other selves: Philosophers on friendship. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co.