by Sean Carter
Love and friendship are often considered as the two sides of
the same coin. One can not survive away from the other. Still there
is a thin line between a friend and a lover; and if someone does
not probe deep in to the relationship, often the thin grey line
between the 'special friend' and lover may seem blurred and unrecognizable.
One of the key attribute of today's society is the gradual demise
of the authoritarian control of social institutions like marriage,
class, corporations, or any other shared alliances. Evidently the
focus has shifted towards the voluntary, informal and often quite
intimate relationship manifested in being friends. More and more
people are turning towards friendship to secure a more reliable
and less demanding social circle.
But when we talk about
friendship and love the questions that naturally come up to our
mind are, whether a purely platonic friendship can exist; and, whether
friendship with the opposite sex can be completely devoid of physical
enticement. One of the primary aspects of platonic friendship is
that it is open-ended, thus allowing more ways to explore and rejoice
the glory of friendship. Friendship is a particular sense of being,
a journey towards becoming intimate with the other, a journey, which
is destined to a state of unconditional yet immensely gratifying
relationship. The psychological process of being attracted to a
friend or a special friend is to a certain extent analogous to the
psychological and emotional progression of love.
So, there
is no doubt that friendship establishes the foundation of love.
Friendship is that fertile ground from which the fragrant flowers
of love will sprout. Most of the people want their lovers to be
their 'soul mates' and being a soul mate has everything to do with
being an intimate and unconditional friend, which are in fact the
common traits of a special friend. That is where the line between
a
special friend and lover becomes increasingly indistinct and
delicate.
But it is not our civil obligation to dissect and
analyze each emotional and psychological change to impeccably categorize
our relationship. We are not under any kind of pressure to keep
the line, dividing a special friend and lover. If the two souls
find it increasingly strenuous to restrain the desire of knowing
each other better through mutual closeness and emotional bonding
on a deeper level beyond friendship, then it makes perfect sense
to become oblivious of the line and depending upon the sincerity
of mutual feelings, one should not hesitate to take a step beyond
friendship and steer the relationship to the next level.
Even a few decades ago, social networking consisted of only the
people living in the locality, but with the emergence of the internet,
now people have the opportunity to expand their friends circle.
This new technology has also made it easier to reach out and convey
your feelings and emotions to that special friend through free friendship
ecards or online greetings. Taking a relationship towards the next
level, becoming a true lover from a sincere special friend relies
on good communication, whether online or offline, expressing the
right word at the right time, often taking advantage of anonymity
that the technology provides, prove to be effective ways for those
contemplating to become more than a special friend.
Whether,
a lover or a special friend, the success in a relationship resides
in the shared aspirations towards knowledge, wisdom and understanding,
which dwell beyond them. At the same time friendship acts as a band
which is flexible enough to hold the intricacies and troubles of
being together and strong enough not to split, as the saying goes
"Friendship is love with understanding."
About the Author
Sean Carter writes on holidays, events and celebrations around the world. He also writes on family, relationships, inspiration, religion, love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry online marketing ans site usability and design . He writes for 123greetings.com