Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Friendship - Essay Example This implies that in virtuous friendships, one must simply appreciate loving others rather than being loved, and always wish the best for others; in that case, Aristotle’s view of virtuous friendship is that it can only be found among a few people of high moral standing. It is evident that not many virtuous friendships exist in real life since it is human nature for people to want things in exchange for friendship, which explains why most friendships do not last even a fortnight. In many cases, friendships arise and survive on the products of the relationship rather than love; implying people are friends as long as the benefits of the relationship last and as soon as there is nothing to gain from friends, friendship is dissolved as quickly as it emerged. In that respect, it is true to say that love only exists in virtuous friendships that are based on the selfless love for others. Human beings are incapable of unity because they often pursue friendship not for the love of others, but for their own selfish gains, particularly because they are generally political creatures by nature. In that case, human friendships are plain and easily dissolvable as soon as there are no gains to be made in them, this is because an individual who only seeks their own personal gains at the expense of their so-called â€Å"friends† is not worth of the title of â€Å"friend†. A friend should be capable of sacrificing themselves for the sake of others, and to always want what is in the best interest of others too, rather than merely pursuing their ends. Unfortunately, this is a highly ambitious ideal, which is rarely achievable in normal circumstances considering the fact that the world is full of scheming individuals always preying on others for their own gains (Sivertsen, 2003). Aristotle acknowledges that indeed most relationships in life are based on love of utili ty and love of pleasure (Pangle 2002), and in that respect, most