Qualities I like best in my friends
A true friend is one who helps you when you are in need. He can he your confident and one who patiently listens to you when you have something to tell. The attachment need not always be emotional. There are times when reason should give way to emotion. The qualities I have liked best in my friends are their physical and moral courage, their sympathy and sense of responsibility.
As a school prefect, I was involved in a rather unpleasant incident one day. A notorious bully was collaring a much smaller boy outside school when I interfered and warned him that I would have him reported if he did not stop at once. The bully did as he was told. but boasted that if I had not been a student of some authority, he would have had no hesitation at all in striking me. I must admit that I was irrational when I told him that he could ignore my being a prefect. As this he flew into a rage and he threatened to beat me up outside school, but when he came face to face with me, he told me he would set some delinquent boys on me. I must confess that this piece of news startled me for I am, like most other people, unwilling to get involved with delinquents. He did bring some delinquents the next day and they approached me threatening. A smaller boy, knowing by some instinct that a fight was brewing. shouted excitedly. News of the impending fight spread like wildfire in the school. Three of my friends, who were expecting such trouble to develop, rushed to the and stood beside me, ready to fight the thugs if necessary. Every one of the hoodlums turned pale for they were cowards at heart and slowly moved away. I had no trouble from the bully since, and I was proud of the way my friends had risked their necks for me. In fact this gangland invasion was intended only to incommode me.
Another quality I admire in my friends is their capacity for spontaneous sympathy. None of us knew Wilfred’s uncle very well, but we knew that Wilfred loved him a great deal. Wilfred’s uncle loved his wife and daughter very much. When he died. nearly a year ago, his wife was completely distraught. She lived in a rather remote part of the country, and there was nobody to help her, save a couple of neighbors. Wilfred knew there was no man in the house to take care of things and he decided to pack up his clothes and leave for his aunt’s house straightaway. We knew Wilfred was too upset to be able to manage anything, and all of us cancelled our proposed trip to Mersing and went with Wilfred to his aunt’s house to help them prepare for the funeral.
One other quality I admire in my friends is their sense of responsibility. Most of the time we chose to behave in a manner that suggests irresponsibility, but when we are required to do something, we go about it with seriousness. The two instances I have cited above will show that we can be serious when necessary. We like being together, and we like to loaf all day. But all of us are studying, and all of us are aware that we cannot afford to neglect our education. We never let anything disturb our studies because we know studies are necessary.
