The Don'ts in Friendship

16th Aug 2024

Friendship is the spice of life, the much-needed tadka precisely! I can't even imagine what my life would be without my crazy bunch. In every phase of my life, I remember having friends. And they have only made my life easier and better. Today, when I look back, I had friends who matched the dramatic make-up during the school's annual function and we cycled our way to school together. During my diploma days, I had friends to pool my scooter with and share samosa in the canteen as we shared our crushes! We also faced accidents together and gave each other a hand only after laughing. When I had to move to a different city for higher education, making new friends was not a problem, keeping in touch with the existing ones was a task as the internet and social media were not this common back then. Yes, we sailed through those times. Now, it is easy to make and maintain friendships, all thanks to social media. Friendship has become seamless, but I am not sure how much depth in it. There are no rules when it comes to friendship, we often call them our chosen family but we should not treat them the way we choose to.
I have had a few bad experiences in friendships recently, but I am grateful to the ones who have helped me retain my faith in genuine friendships. And, that is why, I thought of writing a list of things not to do in friendship:
1) If it is for a reason, do not tag it with the label of friendship. It is pure business, call them colleagues.
2) If you intend to maintain a long-term bond, do not manipulate them. Do not throw an emotional drama to get your work/tasks done. Do not use them to your best.
3) There are times you don't feel like talking to them, never leave the conversation just like that. Before assumptions sneak in, give them proper reasons and time frame, if possible.
4) Imagine they treated you the way you treated them, did not like it? Then do something about it.
5) Friends are to be with, not to ghost. I am unsure how many can live with that feeling, but I can't. So please, give a proper closure even if it means breaking all ties.
6) Friends may do anything in friendship but do not try it, because you will regret it later. Do not compare, or disrespect them.



Friendship is a precious feeling and friends are a source of joy and entertainment. Try to keep this domain of the human system pure and clean from evil intentions. Because times will change, the essence of friendship will never.

PS: The picture in the blog is from the reunion with school friends which happened in May 2024. We all met after 18 years and nothing changed, not a single thing.

This post is a part of Friend Indeed hosted by Sukaina Majeed and Manali Desai .