(Edited) Personal Reflection: Partial Look on Friendships and Relationships

Friendship I believe in one aspect consists of common ground along with subtle differences. After all, even if we conflicted with another based on the differences, we may view our friendship dull if the other person is extremely similar to us and provides little distinction. Also, there differences may eventually turn into some forms of truths for us, based on their experiences perhaps we come to new realizations and thus turns into even more common ground. If not, we may still respect our friends for their thoughtful differences even though we may disagree. Friendships may also be based on some unique feature of the other person, in whom we may look up to. Although I believe this can be a significant factor in friendships, I believe it usually does not need to be the main factor. For example, simply considering one a friend by hanging out with him or her and using academic intelligence as the main factor by means of looking up to him or her is not the basis for a strong friendship in my opinion. Of course the word strong can be vague, so I assume the word here refers to a higher levels of happiness (happiness is vague as well, but I mean to a distinction between short term pleasures and long term happiness) in establishing a friendship in the first place. Sure one and an “intelligent” friend may have certain moments together that the persons cherishes and uses this as a basis for establishing a friendship for example, but if those moments occur infrequently and small talk is often the case, then perhaps they are not really a friend. Also to take into consideration is if the friendship is made based on self image; that is how a person will look at other point of view when he or she is socializing with the “intelligent” friend for example. Perhaps it is to impress another, such as girl for feelings of lust or to potentially gain admission to a group of students that are highly appraised in school (although that doesn't mean they are necessarily the happiest)....