Can you tell me, fellow Nairalander, what friends are for? Why do you bother to keep them?

About the friends you currently have: do they deliver on your expectations or do they dissapoint you? Are they worth the time, effort, and (maybe) money you have invested in them so far?

Are you still in need of more friends, are you perfectly satisfied with those you have, or have you given up on friendship? Thanks in advance for your contributions!

A friend is like a lifetime companion, sex doesnt really matter, male/female. A friend is worth my time, money, effort, etc, and i aint in need of anymore friends, depends on the type of relationship still.

Seun, let's hear yours first.

i have the same set of friends for the past 14 yrs, some i went to school,college and uni with, what make them special is that we are always there for each other, to talk, laugh,cry, clubbing, childs birth, death u name it we have been there for each other. there is nothing as chic as 10 friends laughing over several bottles of wine.


that is what friends are for.

I think friends are just there to hang out with so you don't seem like a psycho or something.

I have very little expectations of my friends. But all the ones I have meet or exceed my expectations. They are definitely worth the time and money that I invest in them.

I don't go out in search of new friends. If we meet, it is because we have a lot in common, and not because I need more people to hang out with.

my friends are very far away, thats the problem.

Well, your friends are people who care about you and who at least try to be there when you need them. I have a few friends that I've grown up with and friends from college. These are friends that I have strong bonds with and I don't really think I need to make any more. I still make friends but I I don't usually plan on having any stong bonds with them, i don't think.  It might sound selfish, but I sometimes try to make acquainances strategically. Meaning, I'd hang out with people I think have connections and wouldn't might "hooking me up" if I need something in the future. (It's not very sincere, I know, LOL)
I also like that I have friends who are just really different and unique in their own way, you know, like the ones you can just call up and they'll be down for anything, even to go climb Mount Everest, or something, LOL. Or the one that's always there to advice you when you're about to do something stupid or the enabler, who rarely criticizes you. Or the one that's always competing with you and even though you both know it, you pretend like you don't.  
I don't think you need many friends though. Just a few good ones, but I'd say having a good amount of "acquaintances" would help create networking and opportunities that might otherwise not be available to you.

this is a peom i wrote about friendship

Friendship is a special gift
given to us all.
The smile of a friend is sunlight on a cloudy day,
and every smile given to a friend is returned.
A friend is one whom you can talk to, and listen to, without judging.
A friend doesn't ignore your faults but accepts them as part of you.
A friend is a shoulder to lean on when you need support, A pat on the back when you do well, and a sympathetic ear when you fail.
A friend is a person you can laugh with about everything, you can cry with without shame, and whom you trust completely.
A friend is a partner in life and a part of you always and forever.

in my perspective i consider a friend to be someone who shares your pain and joy, someone who can stick around you regardles of your flaws (and vice versa), someone who makes you mad but you can't do without (you know what i mean). i for one i cherish friendship and hate to loose friends (but don't think i don't choose them wisely now)

well i've had my share of friends some disappointing and others incredible but in all i have learned to manage my friends understanding that we're all human and have our different weaknesses.

well meeting people is something i like, so i don't mind getting to know people and making new friends but not because i'm not satisfied with the ones i have i just think it's fun meeting people from different backgrounds and with different opinions.

WHAT ARE FREINDS FOR?


-MONEY
-FOOD
-GOSSIPS
-FOR GOOD TIMES AND NOT BAD TIMES

WAT ELSE?

I only have one good friend who will do anything for me and he happens to be my man.
for the rest haven't got any special person i will say that is one good friend of mine and i stop looking for friends a few yrs ago,sometimes i love being by myself.

I think the most important thing is for friends to bring out the best in each other and demonstrate loyalty. My closest friends right now are male e-friends outside Nigeria. They all annoy me regularly, except one mature Nigerian.

As for females, I have only had engaging conversations with those based abroad. People who can't appreciate my dreams and numerous ideas can't bring out the best in me. So even though I have respected ladies for various reasons, it's hard for them to capture my attention. There has to be more to a lady than her sexuality.

I can also tell you what I think friends are not for. Friends are not for criticism, they are not for conditional acceptance. friends are not for offending you and refusing to say sorry. Friends are not for milking you dry when you have a little money, or manipulating you into doing things their way by making you feel guilty.

Friends should make you happy, because love is blissful not painful. I'm quick to drop painful friends!

Seun:

I can also tell you what I think friends are not for. Friends are not for criticism, they are not for conditional acceptance. friends are not for offending you and refusing to say sorry. Friends are not for milking you dry when you have a little money, or manipulating you into doing things their way by making you feel guilty.

Friends should make you happy, because love is blissful not painful. I'm quick to drop painful friends!

Unfortunately, I disagree. Friends are meant to criticize -- anyone who does anything other than that when you're wrong is a flatterer.

I've dropped friends whose ideals are different from mine -- muslim haters, gay haters, white haters, black haters and such. I'm sure that's conditional acceptance.

I will always refuse to say sorry when my friend is heading the wrong way and I tell him my mind. If he takes it as an insult, so be it -- I do not take back my words.

I agree with the next point about milking dry.

Friends sometimes make you sad. Love is not utopian or governable by any laws. Some of my best friends say painful things to me -- but I know them to be true, and I strive to change.

That's my contribution.

My friends know me better than I know myself and my friends arent scared to keep it real with me.

Seun:


As for females, I have only had engaging conversations with those based abroad. People who can't appreciate my dreams and numerous ideas can't bring out the best in me. So even though I have respected ladies for various reasons, it's hard for them to capture my attention. There has to be more to a lady than her sexuality.

I can also tell you what I think friends are not for. Friends are not for criticism, they are not for conditional acceptance. friends are not for offending you and refusing to say sorry. Friends are not for milking you dry when you have a little money, or manipulating you into doing things their way by making you feel guilty.

Friends should make you happy, because love is blissful not painful. I'm quick to drop painful friends!

to an extent i concur with you seun but talking about a friend not appreciating your numerous ideas, hmmmmmmmm i think it is the duty of a friend to tell you if your idea is dumb or out of order (at times that friend might be wrong, but that is fine). i think it's only a Friend that can tell u sincerely if you're out of track without caring if his/her words augur well with you or not.

@Zahymaka

Exactly, i concur with you all the way.

HUMMM

FRIENDS FRIENDS FRIENDS

FRIENDS CAN SAVE YOU,

FRIENDS CAN ALSO KILL YOU

IT IS LEFT FOR YOU TO KNOW

HOW TO CHOOSE

CHOOSE WISELY

Friends help you when you are in need

Friends are there to keep you up when you down and keep you high when you up

I am always watchful of what I do and say to people

Which is why I have alot of people who would look back and call me

A GOOD FRIEND

Friends should show you love and support you in whatever situation you are

^{A friend is closer to you than a brother}

Friends are there for you no matter what. High or low they are still by your side. they know you like no one else does and you can alwayz count on your friend(s) to cheer you up and lift you up.

You can alwayz be yourself with them and you can count on them to tell you when you doing something wrong.

Friendship for me is like a bond, it takes me a lot of time to make friends because friendship is like a relationship that should never go sour, almost like a mother child bond. It takes me time to find it but when i find it, i hold on to it so tenaciously, almost like a crab holding on dearly for life.

I feel soooooo disappointed when a friend lets me down, it could be for the simplest of reasons. I expect a friend to be there for me whether i am right or wrong, and support me through the difficult and the fun. I can kill for my friend so i expect the same commitment.

Thats why i have just 2 people i consider to be my friends right now, all the rest are just groovemates, boyfriends, acquintances, workmates etc

I'm with Zah on this one.

To me friends are people that are there for you. They can be assholes, dumb-asses, but when they are your friends, there's always that bond that keeps y'all together. U might fight, quarell, call each other names, but there's always that BOND, that thing that keeps it going.

Friends are for so many thing, they are meant to annoy you, to be there for you.

A friend would criticize u to ur own face, but yet defend u to the core in public

A good friend would always tell you the truth even if it would hurt you

A true friend
Strenghtens the heart,
Repairs the hurt,
Encourage your new discovery
Banishes your loneliness
Understand your anxieties
And increase your Knowledge

they are for the good and bad times. In season and out of season.

Friends are to empower your decision for Good or for Evil,

Your friend are the photograph of your future

So choose your friends wisely.

Friends are beautiful gifts from God. Friends are the siblings God didn't give us.

I love my friends, they are my wealth.

[color=#770077]A--Accepts u as u are

B--Believes in u

C--Calls u just to say hi

D--Doesnt give up on u

E--Envisions the whole of u

F--Forgives ur mistakes

G--Gives unconditionally

H--Helps u

I--Invites u over 4 dinner

J--Just be wit u

K--Keeps u close at heart

L--Loves u 4 who u are

M--Makes a difference in your life

N--Never judges

O--Offers support

P--Picks u up

Q--Quiets your fears

R--Raises your spirit

S--Says nice things about u

T--Tells u the truth when u need to hear it

U--Understands u

V--Values u

W--Walks beside

X--X-plain thigs that u dont understand

Y--Yells when u wont listen

Z--Zaps u back to reality[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]

Frindship is good but one has to be careful of who he/she chooses as friends.
A friend in need is a friend in deed.
Friend is worth investing on but carefulness is the warning word.
Keeping too many friends is out of it.
It could be detrimental.

My friend tells me what I don't need to hear.
We share stuff together, as in no matter how small. I remember one time back in boarding school, we have what we call "starvation week", 2 weeks after exams when everyone's is broke and the only stuff you're likely to have is soap and toothpaste.
Me and my friend rummage thru our clothes and find N20.We head off to the snack shop- we can only buy 2 cokes and nothing else, but my friend comes up with an extra N5 and buys himself a loaf. Off we go to a table, and he splits the bread right down the middle and hands me a share. And we go on chatting like it's just natural for us to split whatever we get.
We get into trouble together and, by God, face the music together! I just talk to him, don't have to rehearse, tell him what he's done or what he's doing or about to do. Same way he lets me know when I've messed up.

friends can lift you up

and bring you down at d same time

make new friends and keep the old

one is silver and the other is gold.