Friends or 'true' friends?

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

Do you see difference between friendship and true friendship? Is there such thing as true friendship? What do you think about true friendship?

 

I think true friends are people that you trust and can tell any problem you have or anything else that is bothering you. I have 1 friend IRL, but I can't tell him about my interests or problems or anything like that. I still want to call him friend because we've had some fun time together, but I don't know if I should call him true friend.

 

Honestly I feel I have closer friends here in the forums than I have IRL. Maybe it is because I get anxious talking about my issues IRL and I don't talk about them much or at all. Here I can share my thoughts freely and that's why I think you know me and who I am better than anyone who knows me IRL.

 

So I think friends are people you can hang out and have fun with, but when things get more serious only true friends are there for you.

[lelouch. 625]

I have no social issues what so ever. I have many many friends IRL but i dont want to call any of them my true friends. I think i feel closest to some people here on the forums, even though i dont even know what they look like. True friends are basically those who have your best interests at heart, and do what they do completely without the prospect of personal gain. A true friend will give you second chances, even third and fourth chances. He/she will come through for you, trust you completely, turn to you whenever they have a problem, and share their joy with you. Its not necessary that your opinions are similar. There has to be nothing in common for true friendship to work. Take the mane 6 example. Thats called true friendship. They have fights, they're not always in agreement. But when Rarity was falling when she lost her wings, Rainbow pulled off the rainboom for her. She was unable to do it for the crowd, but for Rarity she did. True friends ignore how much of an asshole the other might have been a moment before. When the time comes, they're actions are completely selfless and true.

 

Friends on the other hand is the filth i try to shake off all the time. Those who will lose faith in me as soon as i make a mistake. Who talk behind my back. I have many of those.

 

dont get me wrong, some of my friends are good too, but they just dont pass off as true friends.

[Samurai Equine 45,721]

In my experience, it's easier to have casual friends as an adult than it is as a kid. Kids can be cruel. Not only do they laugh at you if you mess up, but they'll probably bring it up again and laugh more if it still bothers you. It usually has to do with school settings or something similar. You're going to keep seeing the same group of kids over and over, so you'll eventually build up some kind of reputation.

 

As an adult, I feel like it's easier to keep things casual. Most of us have hopefully grown out of our childhood immaturities. We're not bound to 1 location or the same group of people any more. People come and go out of your life. There's a bigger world to explore and we all have our own lives to live. If you're still making a big deal about things that only childish kids would care about, then you're the weird one, not the victim.

 

But even as adult, some of the things you learned about friend-making as a kid can still be useful. You have to be weary of people who would rather leech off of you, use you as a scapegoat, and anyone who will use "friendship" as an excuse to get whatever they want while leaving you high and dry. Just because you have casual friends doesn't mean you need to let them get close enough to hurt or betray you. You kind of HAVE to make casual friendships if you're going to have coworkers, engage in team projects, or even work with a partner. Only get close with true friends.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Samurai Equine

[Darker 1,351]

I don't really have friends, but if I had, I would prefer them to be trustworthy.

[Koukatsu 5,898]

I have lots of friends. I'm friendly. I even call Darker my friend. But my most trusted friends are not my friends. They're my family. I'm not relayed by blood to anyone I call brother or sister. I call them that anyway, because even without a bond of blood, we are family. I have maybe 4 brothers, and we've been spread out because of life over the past 10 years, but we can talk about anything and everything, from my nephew being grounded for lying about losing his recess (he doesn't understand personal space yet) to the things more on the nsfw side. When I first became a brony, the announcement was in the middle of a conversation, and we kept talking about everything we had been, not an eye was batted, nor a pause created. We love each other regardless of what we become through the roads of life.

[Invincible 2,090]

Another ooBrony Post? Yes!

 

Yes, yes i do. I have many friends IRL. Lessons learned have taught me the importance of trust and loyalty in my friends - i have two close friends whom i consider more akin to me than by blood.

 

These two are friends whom i shared not only the burdens of my secrets and issues, not only have i bestowed them with my favor, but they also know my true self, my identity. They know who am i, and what am i, because i trust them enough to be at my most natural with them.

 

All men wear masks; my friends know the mask, but my true friends know the man.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

Yes... there is a difference. But to me, it's not cut and dry. It's not like you're either one or the other. There are seamless transitions between "person I barely know," and "true friend."

[Haruhi-chan 486]

I feel like there is a difference. True friends are usually the ones who will stop at nothing to help your well-being. They don't care about your flaws or that you might be a little on the odd side. They love you for who you are and will never betray you. I have several people I can trust with my life on Skype right now, and I love them to death.

[Eloquence 2,076]

I would say there is a difference, but not the binary one that seems to be presented here. I think it's more of a sliding scale, from acquaintances you might enjoy talking to if you happen to find yourselves in the same place, to the people you share your secrets and deepest emotions with. There are friends and true friends, but there is a large swath of grey in between them.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Eloquence

[SCS 7,443]

Honestly I feel I have closer friends here in the forums than I have IRL. Maybe it is because I get anxious talking about my issues IRL and I don't talk about them much or at all. Here I can share my thoughts freely and that's why I think you know me and who I am better than anyone who knows me IRL.

 

I can truly relate to this. I have several friends IRL, but I'm not as close to most of them as I am to several of my friends online. I consider 3 of my IRL friends to be best friends, and the rest are, for the most part, not much more than people I (mostly) get along with and hang out with. I truly care about them, don't get me wrong, but they just aren't at the same level of friendship with me in my eyes.

 

Even with my best IRL friends though, I don't really feel comfortable talking to them about some of my most personal things, like being a brony, which is actually something I'm not at all open about in person. Most if not all of them are pretty critical of bronies these days, and I don't know if they'd even be willing to listen to my opinion on the matter. 

 

By contrast, some of the friends I've made online, especially those I've met thanks to MLP Forums, are some of the most amazing people I've ever met. I won't name names, but there are a few people I've met on this site I truly consider family at this point. There are some people here I can literally trust with anything. 

 

It's a shame I haven't been able to get as close to some of my IRL friends, but that's high school. Being intolerant and offensive is the status quo, regrettably.

 

So yeah, I think there is a difference between friends and true/close/best friends. I can be good friends with someone and enjoy hanging out with them without necessarily feeling comfortable discussing more personal issues with them.

[Zygen 6,065]

Relationships with people are very confusing to me, not that I don't understand them, I mean I just get confused where exactly I would group certain people sometimes.

 

I'll try my best to explain myself.

 

But like, I tend to consider myself to be a pretty caring person, i atleast try and give myself that, despite lacking self confidence. And also as a side effect, I get pretty attached to people pretty easily, atleast once I pass a certain point.

 

I still care for essentially everyone, from strangers, to my closer friends, but it's different I suppose, and I'm more attached to those I know, where as strangers I may care for, but may not be as attached to.

 

Then there's the fact I may care differently, but not necessarily less for certain people.

 

Like, for instance, band, I love marching band, and I love my bandmates, i really do, they are like a family to me in a way. But on the same token, while I deeply care for them all, and I feel we have a special bond, I don't necessarily speak to each and every band member on a personal level, infact, I don't really speak to much of any of my band mates on a personal level. Like none of them know I am a brony, I still care for them, but it's not that kind of relationship. Certainly not with every single member.

 

I will still cry so hard once I finally leave for college and have to leave them, but that doesn't mean they know my deepest secrets.

 

Does that make sense?

 

And then I have friends whom I talk to on occasion, maybe about different interests or random things, but I don't necessarily talk about things personally, those would be considered friends I think. 

 

I think the "True Friend" territory is a combination of feelings from you and the other person. It's kind of when you grow to this understanding of each other, and trust of each other is built, to the point where you feel like you can trust them with really anything, and they won't judge you or anything. You don't have to worry about saying anything behind a mask per say.

 

Again, i am a very affectionate person, and I do truly love and care for many people, I try not to make myself seem like I take the word love lightly or something, because I really do care, I just can get attached very quickly. Maybe almost too quickly in some cases.

 

I have many friends though, and I love them, but in order to be a "true friend" there is a required amount of trust and comfort on a different level than a normal friend. Like I feel like I don't have anything I cannot say.

 

Do I have any "True Friends" I'm not really sure. 

 

Again, like I said before, Friendships and stuff still confuse me a lot. I guess part of it is just the part of life I am in, where almost everything about myself is a confusing mess.

 

Just know, that I still care for everyone on some level, even when I get angry with people, I still try to remain caring. And on some level, I like to think I do. Just as I like to think that I do truly care for practically everyone I know, and maybe even many who are strangers.

 

I can say one thing I agree with though, I am oddly more comfortable speaking to others online, I think more so though because I simply kinda suck at speaking IRL, or atleast i'm not that good many times at it. I was homeschooled until 8th grade, so I am still lacking when it comes to social skills in some aspects, no doubt. 

 

Plus I guess not being face to face helps.

 

But yeah, Friendships are confusing, but I do know I want friends like the mane 6, those are true friends. So it's not like how I use to be before I watched MLP, in which I hardly cared for Friendships.

 

But I still struggle with the whole thing a lot.

 

*ahem* sorry, getting rambly ;p. (Ends ramble)

[EpicEnergy 22,066]

I think true friends won't abandon you when times get tough and you can trust them, whereas friends are there to hang out with.

Edited November 15, 2019 by EpicEnergy

[Splashee 28,537]

Yea, I have had friends and "true" friends. But it is everyone for themselves when it gets to a certain point. You have to be prepared for that. You can only be as good friend as you can be with your own limits and issues taken into consideration.

 

Someone that tries to be a "true" friend might be the one who gets hurt the most, when the other friend doesn't show up. Life.

[Rainbow Cloud 16,141]

Yes I do think there's a difference, there are friends who are fun to hang round with from time to time and then there are true friends who will always stick with you no matter what and will go out of their way to help you when you are in need.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Rainbow Cloud

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

Yes, I believe there’s a difference. I have both. I have a decent circle of friends at work but I wouldn’t consider them my true friends. That title would go to @Misty Breeze and @Cyclone1066. 

[TBD 17,228]

Honestly for me, I can never distinguish friends from a true friends. People say true friends is like your second family. I don't see that for my case since I tends to keep my friends in a "acquaintance" level.  (no offense to whom I know here..) Friends tends to go pretty fast when it's no longer needed. In general it's just die on it own. It doesn't' bother me much since I figure it will happen eventually. especially when you get older. So it's best not get too attach. They're here just to chat like everyone else.  But I do have some who I preferably hang out with more than just other regular people. 

On the positive side, I see my older sister as someone I can count on, so I don't need some stranger to be my "true friend".

[Clawdeen 12,109]

There's levels which I categorize people I interact with in.

Enemies
Wolves in sheep's clothing or Snakes (The people that you HAVE to watch out for but play nice with. Coworkers tend to fall under this sort of category. People trying to get close to you for their own ulterior motives or to stab you in the back first chance they get.Friends to your face, throwing you under the bus next minute.)
People I don't really care too much for.
People I don't know/really interact with(People I have no real opinion on. Like the cashier at a store or the guy who services my car.)
People I'm fine with. 
Acquaintances
Friends
Best Friends 

True friends would fall under the best friend category for me. Theirs a difference between best friends and friends for me.

[Splashee 28,537]

On 2021-07-15 at 12:22 AM, Mammon said:

Friends
Best Friends 

I have found myself somewhere in there, somewhere. I don't know what the category is, but... yea

 

Good list btw!

[Fluttershyfan94 5,737]

To me it's somewhat like friends are acquaintances that you like and if you see them you talk to them. Best friends however are friends you talk to you know more as in you are talking to them not only when you meet them that is or perhaps you meet them more often that is. While I still don't know though really since it is difficult to define friends from best friends that is.

[Clawdeen 12,109]

1 hour ago, Splashee said:

I have found myself somewhere in there, somewhere. I don't know what the category is, but... yea

 

Good list btw!

Unfortunately i have to have such a category list just due to my current and past workplace interactions. People and situations can be complex. Forced interactions with snakes and such. 

[TBD 17,228]

I mean there’s acquaintances and then there’s friends. Guess which one I have more of.

[Vefka 1,499]

Oh, I have some friends categories to differentiate:

School friend - a good friend in school, but you lose touch as soon as school ends

Usual friend - you're on good terms, but both of you have their own lives, so you don't really interfere each other's business

Best friend - well it's best friend

[Lunaholic 892]

Friend: a person who is your friend. Not an eternal friend. They are there, and when you stop seeing or comunicating with them, they forget you

 

True friend: a person who never abandons you in any circumstances. Despite not seeing for years they still stay as your friend

[Lord Chin Chin 1,201]

I have a few categories for friends, im friendly to everyone by default unless they do something to me

1. Friends of friends, usually just small talk with these guys but have no real connection or anything

2. Internet friends can pretty much be on the same level as real friends imo but cant see them physically
so not as much of a connection

3. Main group of friends is six or so ppl at the moment, would go out of our way to help each other have same interests and have a good laugh

4. My best friend, I would do almost anything for him and love him to bits 🥰

Spoiler

Ok that sounded weird 😅

 

We have a very strong connection and have known each other for years but it takes a long time for someone to be my best friend a d open up to them completely 🙉

I would count my core group of RL friends as true friends but not internet friends unless was a special circumstance for some reason

Edited August 21, 2021 by Tweek

[dead account 2,703]

Can't say I have much experience. But I'm sure I differ. Not that I want to, it just seems like a natural thing. When it comes to best friends, you can talk about anything, you can practically read their minds as well. It's always fun with them and mistakes are not a big deal.
And with other friends it's nice, but still feels like there is something missing. Of course, when we already experienced "best friendship", we have something to compare. It feels like a huge difference.
And then acquaintances. People you see now and then, but still respect. Maybe. There is just not much in common, so not much to talk about. Or no time.

I ruined stuff myself before, but I still love everyone I knew. Or when I feel things are one-sided, when it's always me who visits others or contacts them, I will leave eventually. It feels like they don't want to be bothered. But who knows? They never talk anyway. Or aren't honest.  Mutuality is super important for me. One-sided stuff never ever worked. But it's a good trait to give in advance, before expecting anything, in my opinion.