Faux Friendship

Friendship is defined by Webster as the state of being friends, friendly relation, or attachment, to a person, or between persons. Webster further states that friendship can also be describe as affection arising from mutual esteem, good will, friendliness, and amity. Friendship is considered to be an essential aspect of everyone’s life, as we are not self sufficient in and of ourselves. Friendship, as the world sees it, is a bond between two individuals that should not involve betrayal but should exhibit each individual as being trustworthy and loyal. In many cases, friendships, despite their necessities, are either forced or morally required to end because several components of the friendship have been ruined. We have substituted face-to face encounters with Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. In William Deresiewicz’s, article “Faux Frienship”, he identifies friendship as “a high calling, demanding extraordinary qualities of character –rooted in virtue” and he supports this perception of friendship by historical events and comparisons of romantic partners, parents and children and friendship in the workplace.
In his article, William Deresiewicz describes how society views friendship has changed from the way it was perceived in earlier times. He utilizes known relationships between Achillies and Patroclus, Nisus and Euryalus, and Damon and Pythias to support his thoughts on friendship during earlier times. Each of them protected their friends and refused to live without them. Each demonstrated a bond of trust and loyalty to their friend. Achillies seeked out revenge to honor his friend Patroculus, who died wearing Achillies armor in battle as a tribute to their friendship. Nisus and Euryalus were an inseparable pair that served under Aeneas in the Aeneid. The bond of loyalty, devotion, and sacrifice between these two men was shared through many of their experiences. It is one particular obstacle that stands out between dear friends. In this