"Friendship is a relationship for man's holistic and relational health." - John Arthur.
In other words,
friendship brings healing to our spirit, soul and body as well as our
relationships. There are five (5) basic reasons you must have friends or build friendships;
1. PHYSICALLY - friendship helps us develop well and avoid many health-related problems.
According to Harvard news, Lisa Berkman, director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies said that the stress of isolation can weaken people’s immune systems, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases.
She also noted that people with strong social connections tend to have better health behaviors, like eating healthy foods and being physically active.
2. SPIRITUALLY - friendship helps our spirits to "develop" well.
"Friendship is a relationship for spirits." - John Arthur.
The better your friendships, the safer and well-matured your spirit becomes. Whether or not you will have a good relationship with God, has a lot to do with your friendships.
Henri Nouwen says, "Friendship has always belonged to the core of my spiritual journey."
3. PSYCHOLOGICALLY - friendship helps us mature well in the quality of our understanding and view of life.
The human brain according to psychologists, begins to shrink when it has nothing with which to relate. If a person has something to relate with, even if it's a pet, it helps them to develop well.
4. EMOTIONALLY - friendship helps us to mature well in our responses to life, situations and people.
There is a Law called, The Law of Emotional Maturity. It states that "Emotionally mature people are calm, cool, and controlled in the face of problems, difficulties, and adversity."
This has a lot to do with your friendships. Bad friends will often make you emotionally immature and insecure. Good friends will make you emotionally strong.
5. RELATIONALLY - friendship helps us to mature well in our love and interactions with others.
Dr. Alan Loy McGinnis notes, "Friendship is a springboard to every other love. People with no friends usually have a diminished capacity for sustaining any kind of love.
They tend to go through a succession of marriages, be estranged from various family members, and have trouble getting along at work.
On the other hand, those who learn how to love their friends tend to make long and fulfilling marriages, work well on business teams, and enjoy their children."
This
is why we need to understand friendship better and give it a high place in our
lives. Hubert H. Humphrey actually notes, "The greatest healing therapy is
friendship and love." Charles Caleb Colton also remarks “True friendship is
like sound health...”
There is healing in friendship. Never undermine it. Always endeavour to keep good friends.
The friends you make will ultimately affect your physical health, spiritual health, psychological or mental health, emotional health and your relational health. Be a good friend to others, so you could also improve their health holistically.
These are basic reasons you should have friends ot build friendships. I believe this was helpful. Be free to post your comment or question. And let's keep the conversation going.
JOHN
ARTHUR
FRIENDSHIP
EXPERT | AUTHOR
THE
SCHOOL OF FRIENDSHIP