Words to think about. Powerful words. Words with generic definitions, yet words with terrific undercurrents of meaning defined by the individual, based on personal beliefs and experience. To each one of us, these words mean something different if you dig beyond the generic.

To me, these words are linked by invisible threads. These threads, although invisible, are made of indestructible material. They are not simply threads of gossamer broken by gentle breezes. They are threads of special titanium-like fibers that can withstand the severest storm and batterings of monumental proportions.

Friendship is a precious gift, given and received infinitely, with love and RESPECT between 2 people. It is something to be cherished and nurtured. It is earned and it is not to be taken lightly or abused.  Much effort goes into the building of a friendship, it is not something that just ‘happens’ and if effort is not sustained, it soon withers and dies. In order for one to maintain an adult friendship (For the sake of alleviating argument I will concede that adult friendship and childhood friendship are somewhat different, mainly due of course to age and maturity.) a certain level of MATURITY is required. One must be mature enough to realize that people are different and opinions differ, again based on personal beliefs and experience. One must realize that every person looks at a situation through a filter of those same beliefs and experience and no two filters are ever going to be the same. So times of conflict are sure to arise and to the filters anger, hurt and resentment will be added. But if each one remembers the importance of FRIENDSHIP and can be MATURE enough and RESPECTFUL of each other enough, to be able to talk about the differences and to really be able to listen to each other’s reasons behind those differences, the conflict can often be resolved or a compromise can be reached. Give and take…RESPECT for differences and the MATURITY to disagree. FRIENDSHIP.

Now you add several people to the mix and suddenly you have a COMMUNITY. Within that community there are several different friendships and not all will be the same. Several smaller circles will develop, but all will overlap at some point or other and every person will have a vested interest in the community as a whole. Now if one bad apple happens to insert themselves within said community and that apple continues to rot, yet is adept at covering the slightly moldy smell with flowery words, and sleight of hand tricks, things can go seriously amuck.

Because this apple knows nothing of MATURITY, and has little RESPECT for anyone or anything, it starts whispering in people’s ears and coercing some of the people of the community to lose RESPECT for each other and forget the meaning of FRIENDSHIP.  But the smell and oozing rot cannot be hidden forever, and sooner or later something happens and the apple explodes, leaving an icky mess dripping off the walls and the faces of those closest to the apple. The apple’s true colors and horrible smell are soon reveled.

But the apple soon finds that not all of the community was under its evil spell, and they have not forgotten what COMMUNTIY, RESPECT, MATURITY, and most of all FRIENDSHIP really is. They’ve seen the apple for what it really was and were merrily waiting patiently for the inevitable explosion, ready to help clean the faces of the friends affected. They soothe, they hug, they accept apologies and most of all have the MATURITY and RESPECT for their FRIENDS to forgive them their transgressions. The COMMUNITY is once again intact. What is left of the apple and its colossal and totally unfounded ego is left alone in the gutter, to once again consort with its equals.