Monday, May 15, 2006

About friendship

Recent events have prompted a bout of introspection... and I came to realize that, more than ever, people whom I can really call on as friends are truly few.

What does it mean to be a friend? To me, he is someone who is generally supportive and shares a core set of ideals and principles. We may not agree on certain topics, but would respect him a great deal if he provided strong cogent arguments as to why our viewpoints diverge. Most importantly, he must nurture the friendship with integrity.

Thus imagine my outrage when I find out certain members of our so-called civil society are actually backstabbing sons-of-bitches claiming to be my friend and talking shit behind my back. It's in the plural because it has happened more than once.

If it's a misunderstanding or an unexpected result of some awkward situation where there's no decorum or protocol, sure I might let it slide. When it becomes a persistent pattern of behavior, that's when it's unacceptable.

First of all, what you see is what you get. If you ask my opinion on something, I will give you the unvarnished truth. That's what friends are for. If I had to mollycoddle everyone's feelings, especially for a guy (that's someone with a dick and nuts, in case you're reading this and still confused) who is already a mature adult, I would have no time left for anything else in my life with more pressing priorities.

Secondly, if you disagree with what I said, SAY IT TO MY FACE. As mentioned, if you give me good reason(s) as to why you disagree, I just might think you have a backbone and respect you for it despite our differing views. Or I might think you're a deluded kook, but that's a whole different ball of wax.

Don't go twisting my words or casting aspersions to my character or whatnot to mutual friends where I do not have an avenue for rebuttal. That, to me, is on the same level as "treachery" and the fitting end for such people in medieval times was to draw and quarter them.

Right now I have not yet determined whether it is out of pure pettiness or malice. If it's the latter then it would have satisfied the criteria for defamation, so don't piss me off or I just might be motivated enough to gather more proof of this malfeasance.

OK, I've said my piece. For those of you who weren't scared off by the strong words, allow me to reaffirm our friendship and say "thanks" for consistently being there every time I needed you, and hope you'll give me the chance to reciprocate should the opportunity arise. Good night.

1 comment:

-ben said...

Hahaha! Great minds think alike! Or maybe we both spent our previous lives in institutions :-P I was thinking roughly same thing myself when I read that paragraph. I.e. instead of "treachery," I was thinking "sedition." BTW, you missed out one part, "hung, drawn, and quarter[ed]." Foreplay is important, man! You hang them until they are about expire, and then you introduce them to the concept of why dying then and there is a preferable :-P

Private joke:

Or maybe we could just coat Big Splash with petrol, set it alight, and send him on a fiery slide to damnation. I wonder if Louis still has pleasant memories of a childhood version of that (with alcohol) in Toh Tuck...