Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. The role of friends play in our lives has become significantly greater than at any other time in our history. Today many of us live and work great distances from where we were born or grew up and are separated from our original families. The pain we feel when we are away from our families can be significant.
2. The happiness of the individual relies on friendships which form a necessary human connection. It is perfectly normal to need and want friends and depression is more prevalent among those who lack friends. They lack the intimacy and richness friends can bring into our lives. Frequently friends reflect similar values to us. Yet these values are often different from the ones we grew up with; they are the values we created for ourselves in our adult lives.
3. Communication skills are fundamental in all friendships. The more friends and acquaintances one has, the greater are one’s communication skills. Some call these, people skills.
4. Like watering a plant, we grow our friendships by nurturing them. Friendships need the same attention as other relationships if they are to continue. These relationships can be delightfully non-judgmental, supportive, understanding and fun.
5. Sometimes a friendship can bring out the positive side that you never show in any other relationship. This may be because the pressure of playing a ‘role’ (daughter, partner or child) is removed. With a friend you are to be yourself and free to change. Of course you are free to do this in all other relationships as well but in friendships you get to have lots of rehearsals and discussion about changes as you experience them. It is an unconditional experience where you receive as much as you give. You can explain yourself to a friend openly without the fear of hurting a family member. How do friendships grow? The answer is simple. By revealing yourself; being attentive; remembering what is most important to your friend and asking them about it; putting yourself in their position: showing sympathy: seeing the world through the eyes of your friend, you will understand the value of friendship. All this means learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or perhaps someone from a completely different cultural background. This is the way we learn tolerance. In turn we gain tolerance and acceptance for our own differences.
6. Friendships are made by being considerate which means all the communication skills come into play: active listening skills, questioning skills, negotiation skills, reflecting content skills, reflecting emotion skills, and editing yourself.
7. Friendships offer a great opportunity to learn about yourself because a friend can reflect back to you ‘how you come across in the world’. They also allow you to practice skills in dealing with ‘personal boundaries’ by looking after yourself as well as your friend. They help you develop resilience in relation to the wider social world beyond your family.
Questions & Answers
(a) (i) Why do friends play a more significant role today than ever before?
Ans. Friends play an important role in our life today than even before because the life today has become very busy and we are separated from our original families today due to our busy schedules or work commitments. Thus friends are the ones on whom we can rely in the absence of our family. They are a family away from a family.
(ii) Why is friendship considered an essential human need?
Ans. Today when everybody is engrossed in their lives so much, friendship is considered as an essential human need because people are suffering from depression, and friends bring intimacy and richness in our lives.
(iii) How is friendship different from other relationships?
Ans. Friendship is different from other relationship because it never pressurizes any role on us. A person can remain his or her true self but at the same time is free to change too. It is an unconditional relation where we receive as much as we give. It brings about a positive side in us which we never show in any other relationship.
(iv) Mention two essential human values that help friendship to grow.
Ans. The two essential human values that help friends to grow are remaining attentive towards your friend and accepting the friend the way, he or she is.
(v) Which communication skills help in building friendship?
Ans. Active listening skills, questioning skills, negotiation skills, reflecting content skills, reflecting emotion skills and editing ones ownself are some of the communication skills that help in building friendship.
(b) Pick out one words from the passage which means the same as each of the following:
(i) basic/essential (para 3)
Ans. Basic-Fundamental
(ii) mutual discussion to reach an agreement (para 6)
Ans. Mutual discussion to reach an Agreement-Negotiation
(iii) chance (para 7)
Ans. Chance-Opportunity
