Friendship: February’s Heart Spotlight

BY JODI DIEKER

Calvin and Hobbes is probably my favorite comic strip of all time. For anyone who is not aware, Calvin and Hobbes covers the adventures of young Calvin and his best friend, a stuffed tiger named Hobbes. They are together through thick and thin. Friends who will be there for you through anything, are very hard to come by. They are treasures we have to cherish. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, once said that “... without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.”. He certainly believed that good friends are priceless. He wrote extensively on friendship, and in particular, the types of friendship. He believed there were three types: utility, pleasure, and perfect friendships. 

Friendships of Utility

A fundamental point to understand is that Aristotle thought that we form friendships for two reasons, because we receive a good from it or because the friendship itself is good. In friendships of utility, we receive a useful benefit from the friend. An example could be a jeweler and his client. They could be friends, but once the client has no need of jewelry, the friendship ceases. There is no point in continuing the friendship, as the main point of connection had been buying and selling jewelry. These are not deep or lasting, however there is nothing intrinsically wrong with them. 

Friendships of Pleasure

Much like utility friends, we also form this friendship due to a certain good given. However, this good does not have a usefulness to it. These are the friendships we form because the other is fun to be around. Maybe this is the friend we love to always invite to parties, or that is very funny. Maybe this is a shopping buddy or, like in Calvin and Susie’s relationship, a friend we like to banter with. These friendships may also include the first stages of romantic relationships.

Perfect Friendships

We form these friendships not because we receive a good from the relationship. These friendships are formed because we love the other for themself. There is no reason that we have the relationship other than that we love the person. This type of friendship is also particularly special, as both people involved focus on and want the other’s good. They strive to build each other up and push each other forward. They call each other to become virtuous. An example of this could be Calvin and Hobbes’ friendship. They are friends because they love each other, and at the end of the day, they want to make eachother better.

This February, let’s focus on building and strengthening these types of friendships in our lives. Let’s form our Move UP community in a way that pushes each other onwards to reach our goals!