Hello there! If you don’t cherish the platonic friendships that you have or you don’t even have any, keep reading.
I hope you are holding up well as Covid-19 lockdown seems to be coming to an end… I am excited there’s a beam of light at the end of the tunnel already. However, I think it is important to write to you on this subject as we prepare to resume our normal life. If you cherish friendships as I do, or maybe you live a solitary lifestyle, either way, this article will improve the way you view platonic relationships henceforth.
One thing I have discovered over time is our over-reliance on romantic relationships for all our social needs. We expect our partner to be all; the business advisor, health care manager, fashion specialist, etc. Let me quickly add so that we remain on the same page. While it is important that your partner is “your all” and “superhuman,” the place of platonic relationship is also important. I want to assume you know the place of setting boundaries, being trustworthy, and respecting your romantic relationship while keeping platonic relationships.
JOVI, the unbreakable friendship
While at the university, I met 3 friends that made my days in school amazing. For short, we named our clique JOVI (Jide, Opeyemi, Vanessa, Islamiyat). I met these guys when I was at my lowest. It was that time I crossed to another department and everything seemed to be against me. Even though I can’t remember how it all started, these guys helped me jump back on my feet. As at the time I met them, my GP was 2.5 ish I guess, but with constant encouragement, group readings, and so much more, I finished strong with a second class, upper-division. Did you think we read just books? We created memories that will last us forever, not that we’ve even stopped.
To think JOVI is not the only platonic friendship I cherish. I’m blessed with so many friends that have helped me rise in various situations
Words might not explain how I cherish these people but it should explain to you the importance of having the right friends and cherishing them. That settled, let me share a few reasons while you should take platonic friendships seriously.
Friends aid easing of life tensions
Whether you keep same-sex or opposite-sex friends, they are very important in ensuring you live a stress-free life. Having someone, you can trust and be safe with, go out with, lend a helping hand in different situations is a major reason you should consider and value platonic friendships. The memories we build with friends aid our mental health. With good friends, you are open to creating more beautiful memories capable of improving your mental health and longevity. Friends ensure that we do not go through the inevitable low times of life alone. Those low times come and truly what you would need wouldn’t be family by blood ties or romantic relationships alone.
Friends are potential boosters
Keeping platonic friends contribute greatly to our growth as humans from different perspectives. If you keep good friends, you have automatically won for yourself personal cheerleaders, hype-men, and fans. The icing on this cake is you will not be sending out mandatory paychecks as a reward for their services. With friends, you are effortlessly subscribed to having your self-esteem boosted per time. Friends see your worth and support you all the way to success.
Friends are the best critic
Maybe I will be a little bit biased here. But truly, if love is blind in the figurative sense, you will mostly have some truth colored because your spouse at times wouldn’t say it as it is in order not to hurt you. Friends, I believe offer more positive criticism even in the truest form. As you journey in life, you definitely need to do some checks and balancing. Good friends are our most valuable assets. They wouldn’t mince words in pointing out your wrongs when they notice.
With friends, you see the world better
If you are passionate about living the best of your life, keeping friends will contribute a great deal to that. Friends help us to dispel prejudices and stereotypes we have built which colors our world views. The way the universe is designed, you only know as much as the friends and connections you build. If you have all your friends from a particular tribe for instance, most likely you will know little or nothing about millions of other tribes in your immediate environment. Being open and nurturing valuable friendships helps greatly in the journey to becoming a global citizen.
Though this list might not be exhaustive, it presents the major importance of having and nurturing platonic relationships asides romantic relationships. Funnily, some love birds would say that their partners should also fit into all of this, all the best to you. However, trust me that you would appreciate stepping out of your romantic relationship to nurture valuable friends. If they are truly valuable, you can be assured that they will even contribute to the wellness of your romantic relationship.
The next set of questions this article raises are; where do we find good friends, how do we recognize them and how do we nurture them? Do you have answers or opinions to share about these questions, I’ll be waiting for your views in the comment section.
With love,
Opeyemi Omidiji.
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