Vriendskap: waarom is dit so skaars en hoe kan dit in ere herstel word?

Abstract

Friendship: Why is it so rare and how should it be restored to a place of honour?

Different authors mention the fact that nowadays friendship is ignored and rarely celebrated. In trying to improve this sad state of affairs, this article proceeds through the following steps: A brief historical review which reveals that in the past friendship was confused with other relationships and its real value was not acknowledged by Christians. From the perspective of a Christian philosophy of society, it is indicated that friendship is a unique relationship of love, which should be clearly distinguished from other forms of love, for instance the love of marriage partners, brotherly love and neighbourly love in general. This discussion is followed by a structural analysis of the relation of friendship, indicating what real friendship entails. In the light of the preceding, it becomes possible to discern between acceptable forms of friendship and unacceptable “friendships”. The next section provides, apart from the already mentioned historical causes, different reasons for the rareness of friendships in contemporary Western societies. In conclusion, the special value of friendship is emphasised as being a unique gift of God and simultaneously an important human obligation.