Summary

Let’s just talk friendship for now, nothing romantic here. But just thinking about friendship is probably complex enough as it is. To the ones that know how to form friendships, it’s like second nature. For others, friendship might be overwhelmingly perplexing. What makes friendship possible?
Friendship requires a common bond.
- The base of any relationship is a common interest, ideology, etc. It’s something that the two people can use as bridge to continue their relationship. Without this common bond as a bridge, there doesn’t exist a reason or a connection for the two people to be friends. Have you noticed if you made friendships in club, once you leave, it becomes very difficult to keep in touch with the club? The common interest can be superficial topics too. The key here is that this common bond allows for the individuals to have a reason to come together.
Friendship requires mutual investment.
- Just like how you can’t play catch with yourself, friendships require both sides to put in effort. I don’t think this is coming across as an amazing revelation to most people, but there are a lot of individuals in one-sided relationships, and still holding on to it. Most of the time the problem isn’t if we understand the concept or not, it’s when emotions deviate us from our understanding. Face the facts and let the emotions follow.
Friendship requires mutual understanding.
- I really believe not all people are compatible, because not everyone thinks the same way. If you are not able to have a deep mutual understanding with your friend, the relationship can’t go beyond skin deep. A key component in a deep relationship is the WANT to understand. We come in all shapes and sizes, personalities, etc. But the desire to want to understand another can bridge many chasms. But not everyone thinks this way.