December 18, 2018　=========

☆  friendship  友情関係

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Have you ever heard of Aristotle’s “three kinds of friendships”? The Greek philosopher believed there were three kinds of friendships:

Friendships of utility: a friendship between two people who each benefit in some way. For example, maybe your neighbor looks after your cat while you are on vacation, and you might water their plants when they are away.

Friendships of pleasure: these are friendships where you have something fun in common, for example, you go to the same gym class, or you always see them at the same coffee shop and chat with them.

Friendships of goodness: this is a friendship where you have similar values and you admire each other’s goodness and want to help each other be the best you can be.

Friendships of utility and pleasure don’t tend to last a long time. Our friends change over time, because our needs and ideas of fun change as we get older. However, friendships of goodness tend to be long-lasting because we have basic goodness and values in common with each other.

What do you think of this idea of different friendships? Is it true in Japan too? Which types of friendships do you have the most of?

Bye,

Chris