It’s a pretty simple question that people say every now and again. But, do people say it too often? Has it lost its meaning? Has it become more of a joke now? And, what really are friends for? In this new modern day and age, friends seem to have taken on a new role of just purely people that someone hangs out with. However, I believe friends are more than that. Why else would you surround yourself with random people?

To be fair, I haven’t heard anyone say “What are friends for?” in a long time. But, one thing I do know is that we’ve taken friends for granted. We haven’t been treating them to the full extent that we could or, rather, mistreating them. Also, how often are we asked what friends are? How often do we ask ourselves that? I also think both those can be answered with: not often enough.

We usually think friends are the people we hang out with to have a good time, but I think they are substantially more than just an excuse to have fun. Friends are more than just someone to have fun and hang out with. They offer so much more than that and I think some people forget about that. But, what do friends give?

First off, they give you advice. A good friend will quietly listen to anything you have to talk about and want advice on. A good friend will tell you their honest opinion and share anything they’ve learned if they happened to be in the same situation at one point in time. Use their knowledge to your advantage and ask them for advice. Oftentimes, a good friend will only just want to help you succeed and be the best at what you can do.

Second, they can help you out of something sticky. If you are in a tricky situation and need a way out, a friend can recognize that and help you get out of your situation. They will come to your rescue and know exactly what to do to get you out of there, regardless of what you are feeling. This easily exemplifies the classic saying of “Friends are with you through thick and thin.” And, if you know anything about good friendships, this is true.

Friends help you grow. They sit with you when you suffer a bad break up or celebrate with you when you turn twenty-one. They witness you at your worse and at your best and through this and with everything else they do for you, you grow better as a person because you had a comrade standing right next to you when you needed them.

Also, friends can tell each other when something is a bad decision. If they see you doing something wrong or about to do something wrong, they have the power to stop you. They have the power to say, “Hey, look at what you are doing. Do you think this is the right thing to do at this moment?” They can change your mind on certain decisions that you want to make and it might make you mad at first, but sometimes, it’s best to listen to them and say to yourself, “Yeah, it’s probably best that I not do that.” I think this one is the most influential and useful thing that good friends can do. Good friends have the power to change minds and decisions.

These things aren’t a limitation and they definitely (should) go both way. Friends do everything for one another and these are just the few that are the most profound. Friends also share homes, clothes, food, and, maybe, a pet. They share so much and they help each other become someone much better than they were when they first met the other. And, hopefully, as each of the friends grows up and grows wiser, they’ll still continue to help the others in times of need.

So, instead of just being the object of fun, ask yourself how you can improve as a friend. Care about your friends, even the ones that are just around for you to have fun. They need you and you need them. And when you do something helpful, you can then, in good confidence, say “What are friends for?”

At last, here's a huge thank you to all my friends who have helped me grow and make worthy decisions in life. Thank you for sticking by my side and giving me advice when I needed it most. Thanks for showing me what friendship is, so I can toss out anyone else that didn't turn out to be a friend to me in the end. You know who all of you are.