People

People… We love them, hate them, care about them, be friends with them, share them, compromise them, wish for them, crave them- however we feel about them we have to deal with them! Unfortunately there is no other way out.

People are all around us. People are our family, our friends, our neighbors and people are complete strangers too. I wonder what makes them strangers and what makes them friends? I sometimes wonder how we should interact with people. True, that every person is different from the other and there are no rules laid out for the best way to interact with people and you have to give every friendship and relationship some time in order to answer that question.

I know I am being redundant here, using the word “People” in every sentence but I don’t know, for some strange reason this word is just stuck in my head tonight. I can’t seem to be able to take it out neither do I find the words to explain my thoughts but I am trying. I just hope it makes sense.

I loved some people for who they are but others would bewilder me by what they do. I met people with thinking’s and ideas, I thought never existed. However, I got along with most of them. Fortunately, I have always been the easy going type of a person who has a lot of patience (I know some of you wouldn’t agree due to my aggressive out front at times but that’s another story!)

The question here is how do we know that these people are the “right” people for us? How and when do we relate to them? Do we have to relate to them in order to move along with them? Do we have to tolerate them because they are in our lives? What makes a good friend?

What is friendship all about I wonder. It’s strange how we have all these different types of friends around us. Of all the friends that I have, I cannot even single out two friends who are similar in nature- they are all so different. Am I their friend because I like them or love them? Why do I love them? Am I their friend because they complement my shortcomings? Or do we become friends because we have so much fun with each other? Is friendship and relationships just about having fun? Or is it about overcoming our shortcomings? Do relationships arise out of similar interests and having things to talk about? Sometimes relationships start because the person lives right next to you and you see them everyday. Sometimes, you wouldn’t have been with the same person if you had other choices in your life. Sometimes, it’s just a compromise….

We make all sorts of assumptions about each other. We say we wouldn’t because that’s just wrong but we cannot help but judge other people. I know, at times, even I can’t help but judge other people (I hate to admit this!) But, I guess it is human nature. I wonder if judging helps. Sometimes, first impressions do reveal what the other person is all about but it’s not always the case. I just think we are all selfish. If not consciously, then subconsciously, we just look for our own benefit in friendships and relationships. If not for any materialistic benefit, then for feelings… we never think about how much we love the other person but how much they love us, how much are they willing to sacrifice for us, how much will they satisfy us. I wonder if this is the right thing to do.

If we look around, we will find that friendships arise out of needs, wants and desires. We always hang out with the people we can get the most out of. We usually date the person who is good looking and has money in the pocket. College is all about fun…yeah sure, but doesn’t that fun make us selfish too? Should we love people because they fulfill our needs, our desires one way or the other or should we love them for who they are?

We all say that love is the sacred emotion that doesn’t want anything in return but we all want “Something”…consciously or sub-consciously. Don’t we?