Friendship: A Common Purpose

Hey everyone!

Because someone (I did) forgot my notes this morning pertaining to the Taoism post this was initially supposed to be, we’re going to talk about something different and sort of impromptu.  Besides, I’m PRETTY sure a Taoist would appreciate the ability to adapt to the situation without missing a beat First, I have a question for all of you: What is a friend? We use the word friend to mean a variety of things ranging from “This is a person I barely met and maybe couldn’t give to shits about, but it’d would be impolite to say that” to “This is someone I’d take a bullet for.” And of course there are the myriad nuanced definitions in between.  My question is, why do we ascribe the term friend to the shallower end of the spectrum at all?

            Aristotle famously said that a friend was a single soul which dwelled in two bodies.  I like that, but it makes me feel like friend and soulmate are synonymous, and because of that, a singular and exclusive term, in the same way as “There can be only one (Highlander).” So I went off to look for an alternate friendship model that encompassed an idea of social networking with Aristotelian closeness.  I found it in an unexpected place: while in a class/group therapy setting for depression.  We were introduced to the Okinawan idea of a moai: “Moais are social support groups that form in order to provide varying support from social, financial, health, or spiritual interests.[1] Moai means “meeting for a common purpose” in Japanese and originated from the social support groups in Okinawa, Japan. The concept of Moais have gained contemporary attention due to the Blue Zone research popularized by Dan Buettner. According to research, Moais are considered one of the leading factors of the longevity of lifespan of the Okinawan people, making the region among the highest concentration of centenarians in the world”

            I’m going to leave this right here while I go off and add to my moai, or as I see it, the extended family who chooses each other.  Until next time, keep philosophizing!