Woke up this morning and this was the first thing I read. What a great way to reinforce the importance of friendship, Connection, when itβs so easy to retreat into our own little lifeβs. Brilliant.
Thank you for this. Youβve perfectly captured why friendship matters now more than ever. Weβve become far too good at looking at each other through screens, but weβve forgotten the magic of two heads bent over the same book, discovering we love the same thing. Thank you for reminding us that philia isn't a luxury, itβs the very thing that makes the struggle of survival worth it.
Very beautifully written. CS Lewis was well ahead of his time, and his insights on friendship and the need for human companionship is just one example of that. In todays manic digital age, its so easy to get consumed by the "rat race" and only be concerned with ourselves, but its only when we connect with other people, truly connect with them, that life becomes worth living.
When I was a young man, one of my uncles told me that an old professor of his had said that if I lived to be a hundred, I would be able to count my true friends on one hand. I am almost eighty, and I find that to be true.
Loved this quote 'Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.' His words echo through the years, as relevant as ever.
What a great reflection on friendships. It inspires me to make promised meetings at the local coffee shop actually happen with some of the guys in my neighborhood.
They never gave up on humanity and together found meaning and joy which they gifted to us in their story telling. They asked and answered the big questions of life to help the rest of us be our best selves and live our best lives for the sake of all of humanity. They loved Humanity.
An excellent commentary. I think the American male has almost no capacity for real friendship or intimacy. They have alliances. I have lived in NZ, England, Canada and in the US for over 40 years, and still my real friendships remain in those countries. Americans will bond over football, basketball, beer and passing alliances in bars, but not much in churches. You can attend a church for 25 years and never form a real friendship. Sadly, with Trump, friendships have broken and disappeared faster than bad coffee down a drain. Most will never recover. I think suicides will continue as will gun violence born of hatred and fear.
What does a President have to do with friendships? Itβs people who choose who their friends areβ¦.differences of opinion have existed since the beginning of time. Itβs why God gave us each our own brain so we could think critically in this world and eventually choose Him. Trump or any other President is irrelevant in this journey. We are masters of our own mind and need to stop thinking collectively and make our OWN choices.
Not a man, but I find the church thing to be true regardless of gender. Iβve been attending church regularly and had gotten involved in a lot of different church activities and not one of them yielded a friend or even someone who would say hi to me. Even the people I thought I could reach out to or sit with during worship never reciprocated. So I switched churches. Same issue, even after helping in the kitchen. No one even shares a pew with a non-family member.
Itβs made me question, why if weβre in the body of Christ and have the Holy Spirit, there arenβt more people seeking community with each other.
Somewhere, in the place where you live, Erika, is a church that has a biblical culture of "philia"βof love and welcome. Pray that God will lead you to that place, and don't settle for less.
I found 3-4 years ago - age 83 - , after 60 years of here and there to find a family -ΡΠΎΠ΄ΡΠ½Π°-in the Orthodox Church. Ukrainian, because it is the closest to me. (I'm a complete Anglf
Especially loved reading this essay during βπβ week, as I am single, but still believe in love!π
Beautiful. Thank you for this
Woke up this morning and this was the first thing I read. What a great way to reinforce the importance of friendship, Connection, when itβs so easy to retreat into our own little lifeβs. Brilliant.
Thank you for this. Youβve perfectly captured why friendship matters now more than ever. Weβve become far too good at looking at each other through screens, but weβve forgotten the magic of two heads bent over the same book, discovering we love the same thing. Thank you for reminding us that philia isn't a luxury, itβs the very thing that makes the struggle of survival worth it.
Very beautifully written. CS Lewis was well ahead of his time, and his insights on friendship and the need for human companionship is just one example of that. In todays manic digital age, its so easy to get consumed by the "rat race" and only be concerned with ourselves, but its only when we connect with other people, truly connect with them, that life becomes worth living.
Beautiful! Thank you for this piece and reminder of the sacredness of friendship. Amen to Jesus filling us with His love for us and others.
When I was a young man, one of my uncles told me that an old professor of his had said that if I lived to be a hundred, I would be able to count my true friends on one hand. I am almost eighty, and I find that to be true.
Loved this quote 'Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.' His words echo through the years, as relevant as ever.
What a great reflection on friendships. It inspires me to make promised meetings at the local coffee shop actually happen with some of the guys in my neighborhood.
As a female boomer who lived through this odd disolution of friendship -Thank you - you've increased my resolve to forgive slights and reconnect.
Great article. Thank you.
They never gave up on humanity and together found meaning and joy which they gifted to us in their story telling. They asked and answered the big questions of life to help the rest of us be our best selves and live our best lives for the sake of all of humanity. They loved Humanity.
An excellent commentary. I think the American male has almost no capacity for real friendship or intimacy. They have alliances. I have lived in NZ, England, Canada and in the US for over 40 years, and still my real friendships remain in those countries. Americans will bond over football, basketball, beer and passing alliances in bars, but not much in churches. You can attend a church for 25 years and never form a real friendship. Sadly, with Trump, friendships have broken and disappeared faster than bad coffee down a drain. Most will never recover. I think suicides will continue as will gun violence born of hatred and fear.
What does a President have to do with friendships? Itβs people who choose who their friends areβ¦.differences of opinion have existed since the beginning of time. Itβs why God gave us each our own brain so we could think critically in this world and eventually choose Him. Trump or any other President is irrelevant in this journey. We are masters of our own mind and need to stop thinking collectively and make our OWN choices.
Not a man, but I find the church thing to be true regardless of gender. Iβve been attending church regularly and had gotten involved in a lot of different church activities and not one of them yielded a friend or even someone who would say hi to me. Even the people I thought I could reach out to or sit with during worship never reciprocated. So I switched churches. Same issue, even after helping in the kitchen. No one even shares a pew with a non-family member.
Itβs made me question, why if weβre in the body of Christ and have the Holy Spirit, there arenβt more people seeking community with each other.
Somewhere, in the place where you live, Erika, is a church that has a biblical culture of "philia"βof love and welcome. Pray that God will lead you to that place, and don't settle for less.
I found 3-4 years ago - age 83 - , after 60 years of here and there to find a family -ΡΠΎΠ΄ΡΠ½Π°-in the Orthodox Church. Ukrainian, because it is the closest to me. (I'm a complete Anglf
Well done!