Friends are very important in our lives. Friendships are easily formed when we are young and do not demand too much out of it. According to studies and research, humans tend to form highest number of friendships at kindergarten and primary level. However, one tends to have less friends as one grows older and wiser. This is because we realize there are good friends and bad ones.The saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed is very apt in this scenario because good friends are those who are reliable and trustworthy. at a younger age, our demands are not too high regarding friendships as we rely mostly on our parents, siblings and relatives for important things. The friends we formed at this age are merely considered playmates rather than companions and confidants. Thus, our expectations of them are not high.More serious friendships are formed when one enters puberty and achieves certain level of maturity. the latter allows one to forge fellowship with those who share the same interests, passion as well as similar moral and religious values. Thus, it is not surprising to observe that in some Asian country, mature students at the upper secondary level have friends of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds. At the university level, it is even more apparent. Even the Ministry of education has voiced concern over this phenomenon where polarization is prominent. The Indians, Chinese and Malays hardly mix with each other and are seen usually in the company of their own kind.One of the main reasons for polarization among university students is that as they reach a certain level of maturity, common binding factors such as religion, customs and traditions play important role in selection of friends or mates. In addition, since majority of these students come from rural backgrounds where there is not much cultural interchange, they feel rather awkward to forge friendships with students of other races. However, this does not mean the students are racist or suffer from superiority complex. Thus, the university should introduce more programs that allow cultural and religious mixing and understanding of the other.Nevertheless, in the working world, a different scenario prevails. One finds Indians, Chinese and other races forging stable and long lasting friendships. This is most probably due o the fact that to be productive in one's work, one has to believe in team work. The latter actually enhances the bond between the workers and eventually long lasting friendships are formed. In fact, this situation has even led to many inter racial marriages between the three major races. the products of the intermarriages are very unique as they have friends and relatives from both ethnic backgrounds.

Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. A person who has true friends in life is lucky enough Friendship makes life thrilling. It makes life sweet and pleasant experience. Friendship is indeed, an asset in life. It can lead us to success or to doom. It all depends on how we choose our friends.True friendship is a feeling of love, sharing and caring. It is a feeling that someone understands and appreciates you as you are, without any exaggeration, flattery and pretensions It gives a feeling that you are wanted and that you are someone and not a faceless being in the crowd. A true friend stands by you through thick and thin. True friendship knows no boundaries or demarcations of caste, creed, race and sex.Friendship is both good and necessary. Man cannot live all alone. He is a social being. He needs someone to share his joys and sorrows. Generally, it is only the people of the same age, character and background, mentality, etc., who can understand him and understand his problems. Friends are needed for support and for sharing. Friendship is an elixir which is essential for a happy life.They are needed to turn to when one is in trouble, and facing difficulties. According to the great Roman Statesman Cicero Friendship increases happiness and diminishes misery by doubling our joy and dividing our grief. Friends are needed in every stage of life. Friendship has no age limit. Every group of people- children, youth, elders, very elderly people, etc. have their friends. However, it is better to have friends of the same age group and cultural backgrounds.We need to select our friends very carefully. We have to remember the maxim All that glitters is not gold. In the same manner, we must not be moved by apparent show of friendship. Many remain with us in the guise of good friends and lead us to the wrong path. Today, many youngsters have become social nuisance mainly due to wrong company and bad friends.We spent much of our time with them. Their mental outlook, behaviour, attitudes affect us too. Therefore, we have to choose our friends very carefully. We have to distinguish between fair-weather friends and true friends. True friends remain with us through thick and thin while fair-weather friends are found only during sunny days.Lasting friendship is indeed, a blessing. Good friends are great pillars of life. They help us to stand tall and erect in life. Friendship can make or break us. It can lead to good careers and proper living. It does not matter how often you meet your friends, but how much you care and feel for another in good times as well as in bad times. True friendship is a great asset in life.

Good friends are wonderful. They're there to support you and to help you. They make you laugh and feel good. I'm lucky, I have three very good friends. Sure, I have lots of other friends. But these three people, I would take a bullet for.

We've known each other most of our school lives, but we never really "hung out" together until the seventh grade, when we all went to Junior High. There, cliques were formed; the popular and the unpopular began to separate. Most kids joined in massive groups to eat lunch. But we found each other and stayed in our group of four. Why?...because with our small group we could share our opinions and be heard. In those big groups, it's hard to get your opinions out. Another reason is because we shared a common interest: computers and computer games.

We may spend a ton of time in front of our computers, but that doesn't mean we don't have a life. I'm near the top of the varsity swim team. One of my friends is the best speech and debater out there, and he bikes like crazy. Another one has the tools and ability to build anything. And the last worked so hard in sports that he destroyed his knees pretty badly. Now he uses crutches.

Thefirst timehe had knee problems was in eighth grade. It got so bad that he actually had to miss half a year of school and stayed home with a tutor. We missed him badly, and would visit him occasionally, but we were overjoyed when he did return to school. It was great to see him walk to school without a wheelchair, without crutches, without even his cane. We welcomed him back into our circle of four and went on with school as if he never was missing.

In the beginning of his sophomore year, the knee problems came back, and with a vengeance. He had to leaveschool againafter the first quarter. It was saddening to have to miss him again. But some of my fondest memories of this year were when three of us stormed his house as a trio and dragged him out to take him to movies, parties, etc. The feeling of completion that he brings to our circle really reinforces my feelings that we're all the best of friends. And I think that we're doing whatgood friendsshould be doing too. We help him through this tough time, which often means putting on smiles when we're a little scared by his lack of improvement in his knee.

Looking back it's hard to believe how much my friends have shaped my life. It's hard to think of what my life would be like without them. We are more similar than we know and mean a lot to each other. It saddens me to think that we will probably only be able to see each other on a daily basis for two more years. But, of course, we're going to fill those two years with memories of our times together.