*new* Friends, Facebook, social media: is that real friendship?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swTLjLIn1jM
An ad for a debate (trying to find the link. . . )
Why is family important? Why (are?) friends important? What does Aristotle say? What do you say?
For what are you grateful? Are you most thankful for the things/people/events that are most meaningful to you? Or can you be very grateful for things that really aren't meaningful? Explain.
Family is important because it is biologically, physically, emotionally , and socially your support system. They are the only network of people who have a genuine stake in your well-being and success. Family is also eternal and unchangeable. Even if you disagree with your family you can never change the fact that you are one in the same gene pool. Friends are more interesting because they are the family you choose. These are people who you have no necessary connections to but still choose to support, love, and intertwine your life with them. Friends are important because they will and do affect the way your life is lived. They can be positive and negative but ultimately they are hand selected by you to bring into your life like a family member. Friendship is a very fragile and curious interaction. I am grateful for both my family and friends but more than that I am thankful for the chance to be part of their lives and for them to be part of mine. Life is better with friends and family, they are what make life worth living.
ReplyDeleteFamily is important because they give us guidance, support and love. They are always there for you no matter what and you can count on them for anything. They give the best advice and want what is best for you. Friends are important because they can help with self-esteem and they can offer hope in certain situations. Real friends will be there for you even in bad times and will be happy for you when you succeed. True friends are important to have in your life.
ReplyDeleteAristotle believes that friendship is the best and most important virtue a person can have. He thinks that friends are necessary for everyday life. I agree with Aristotle to a point because I think that friends are very important, however, I think that family is more important because they will be there for you no matter what and friends can come and go.
I am grateful for my family, boyfriend, friends and sports, but more importantly I am grateful to be alive today. I am thankful to have survived two near death experiences and I hope I don't encounter anymore. With this being said, I would say that I am most thankful for the people/events that are most meaningful to me and play the biggest part in my life.
ReplyDeleteWithout family, who are we? Our family is our backbone, and everything about who we are can be traced back to the principles we learn at a young age. Just sit back and think for second what life would be like if we had no family. No support when times are tough, no pat on the backs when times are good, and most importantly no love. Honestly what would life be like without the love of your family. I can not imagine waking up everyday knowing that my family was gone. We all need family in our life, it is essential. Friends are important but there is nothing like having someone there 24/7. I understand that there are great friends out there, but I believe our family feels our pain and happiness.
Thanksgiving for me is realizing what is the most important thing in life and not taking it for granted. A lot of times in life we take the things that are closest to us and push them aside because we know that at the end of the day they will always be there for us. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on things close to us that we neglect, and put them first. I would say family is that neglect. Speaking for myself, no matter what I do, bad or good, my family is always there for me. I would like to think everyone has family like this. There is no doubt that I am thankful for what my family has done in my life and what they will continue to do.
From Brandon "Smoove" Housley
ReplyDeleteFamily is key in a child's life and that is why family is most important. It's very cliche and true, but family is a person's backbone no matter how dysfunctional they may be. I agree with Aristotle in that friends are important in people's lives. What happens when you lose those friends under any circumstance? There's always family behind you no matter what. What happens when you lose family? There's always a friend/friends to take you in.
I'm grateful for everything and everyone that is in my life. For all the accomplishments that I have completed and for the opportunities that are still present to achieve.
“Aristotle believed that friendship was the best and most important virtue a person can have.” “Friendship is used by everyone; it is necessary for everyday life.” I agree with Aristotle in so far that he says, “Friendship is common to all and necessary for day to day life,” because friends are necessary for the development of people’s characters. This is the case because friends are chosen and hence who we choose to spend time with and become close to reflects our values and what we hold important. However, I disagree with Aristotle when he says that, “friendship is the most important virtue a person can have,” because I believe that to be family. Families are the monomers of society, but more importantly they are the close knit support and love systems that provide a crutch for one to lean on. Families are bound together by genetics, history, love, and hate, family are constants, no matter what happens to you the family is always there. Families are never perfect, there can be dissent and tension within a family but one always knows that this tension is generated from conflicting ideas of how to help the family and not out of a desire to do harm to any family member. And finally, a person can abandon or not be loyal to a friend but a person cannot abandon or betray family because it would be like hurting or turning one’s back on one’s self.
ReplyDeleteIs family only biological? Are all biological relations family? What is owed a person who is family in name only?
ReplyDeleteFamily is important because, most of the time, they are the people who have seen you in your best times and in your worst times. They know when something is wrong and can make you feel better. I do not believe that family is only biological. Many people have aunts or uncles or second mom's who are just best friends of their parents. They have grown up with these people and are very close and can definitely be considered family even though they are not genetically related. Technically I believe that all biological relations are family (because of genetics), but often one member does not fit in and is kind of excluded. Some people are closer with friends than they are with family which shows that family does not have to be biological. It all depends on your definition of family. Friends are important because sometimes you just need someone to lean on and people besides your family that you can trust.
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ReplyDeleteFamily and friends are some of the most important people in my life, as well as many other people. I consider them to be people I can rely on and to talk to whenever I need them. Aristotle had different types of friendships, he stated that “Friendship is common to all and necessary for day to day life,”. I have many friends, as well as many best friends and I honestly do not know would do without them! I am thankful for so many things in my life. I have a wonderful, caring family and friends that would do anything for me! I am thankful for all the experiences and the life my parents have provided for me. And I am thankful to be in this wonderful death and dying class
ReplyDeleteFamily and friends are both essential for human existence. Family doesn’t even have to be meant to be by blood only. I have many extremely close friends who I call my older/younger brother or sister. These people are part of my family and even my biological family realize this and accept them as family. Family is important as a back bone. Most family members will be there for you whenever you need them, in the thick and thin. They are someone to lean on through times of trouble and to go back to when times are tough. This is not meaning that they are not there for you for the good times but true family members will be there for you even in the roughest of rough times. This is how I know who my true friends are as well, and the ones I can call my brother or sister. Friends are important to be with you in the times in between the good and bad. Someone you can talk to even when you cannot talk to a family member. They are important for the social aspect of life. Aristotle even believes that friendships are the most valued virtue, which I agree with. Most family members are alike, friends are there for the diversity that everyone brings. They bring with them difference cultures, different backgrounds, and different views of life that can challenge the way you think of things. They are needed to broaden your scope of vision that much more.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for all my family and friends. God knows how much they have all been there for me. Most of all I am grateful for my parents. They love me unconditionally and would do anything to help me out if I was in a bind. They help me out a lot currently with being in school. It’s even more than what they can give me, it’s how much I know they love and care for me that matters. Materialistic things I could care less for. Yes, they are awesome when you have them, and when people give me gifts I am grateful for them and the gift. But to me, it’s more the thought that counts rather than the amount of money you spend. Whenever people ask what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I tell them to make something and give it to me. Electronics, clothes, and most anything else will eventually get lost or get old or lose its value, but I still have everything that someone has ever made me because this is more meaningful to me than anything else. To me, everything I have meant something to me at one point and time, but the most meaningful things I have are those that took extra time to make. For someone to be grateful for something, I believe that there has to be meaning behind the reason as to why they are grateful for it.
Family is the support and love that guides us through our everyday adventures. Without family I believe there would be no drive behind living. Our family is not only our blood relatives but also the friends that choose to stand by you through the good and bad times. Not all blood relatives I believe are considered part of the family that gives purpose behind living. I have found through out my life that simply because you share similar DNA does not make you family. Family has a job to do. They are your support system and the people that you count on being there for you through the good and bad times. Family is irreplaceable and always has a special place inside your heart. Family is unselfish and doesn't expect anything in return for their time given and always put other members of the family first. During this holiday season I have been extra thankful for the family I have been blessed with. The holidays are going to be extra special and difficult this year as my Farm Grandpa who has been a huge part of our family is slowing slipping away. He has lived a full life and we are grateful for the time he has spent with us on earth. He knows that his time is coming to an end and is very accepting of it. He will be greatly missed when his time comes, but for the rest of his time left it will be cherished. He has touched everyone in his life in a special unique way and I couldn't be more thankful for the grandpa I have. As Christmas approaches I only pray that he can spend one more Christmas eve with the family.
ReplyDeleteI will not go into family and friends because it seems that everyone else is. They are both important, even if I do try to avoid my family for a lot of the time.
ReplyDeleteI am most thankful for all of the books that I have read. I think that if I had never read the hundreds of books that have made up the majority of my life, I would not be the person that I am today. It may seem ungrateful to the people in my life, but I can honestly say that my books are very important to me. They have given me ideas and fostered new ones to grow. Some of my books have helped me to see the world in a different way, while others just let me escape from the world for a little while. The books aren't simply words on paper bound between two covers, they are stories that communicate things that cannot easily be said.
Although it may seem bad for me to be mostly thankful for books, they are what created "me".
Family is important for a great many reasons, the number one reason being support. To have support from family helps us as both young adults and students alike to help a strong positive attitude throughout life and especially with keeping our spirits raised as students. Friends tend to follow the same principle with some added bonuses. Friends can be talked to about things that we are uncomfortable talking with our families. I'm especially grateful for my family. I am an adopted child and therefore my gratefulness runs deep with my family both adoptive and biological. I am very fortunate to have landed with such incredible parents on both sides and that is what I am most thankful for. I believe that you can be grateful for things that make you "you." As Charles mentioned, he is mostly thankful for books because they made him who he is. In that sense, because I have similar hobbies to that, I am certainly of the opinion that you can be thankful for small things.
ReplyDeleteI think that social media friendships and "new" friendships have the capacity to become a true friendship but it all depends on whether or not that opportunity is acted upon. A friend of mind came up with a lovely notion. I was sitting with a friend of mine and she can up and said to my friend, "I have a friend crush on you. Can we be friends?" I love this! It's not like she meant it romantically at all but it opened a door to a new friendship with ease! The beginnings of friendships can be awkward (trying not to offend them, etc) and avenues like this and social media provide an opportunity for those who may not be socially outgoing. Now, that goes without saying that living behind the computer screen and relying on that for friendships is good but it inevitably helps some people.
ReplyDeleteIn respect to the value of the people in your life, I think the best policy to live by is family above all. Yes, they might antagonize you at times and maybe say some very hurtful things, but the fact of the matter is that they will be there for you in their own weird way. You are family for life but you may not be friends for life. Aristotle thinks that friends are very important and that there are different kinds of friendships based upon need. I think this is true. Friends are very valuable because they are sometimes the people that may care the most about a given situation you find yourself in at a given time. The help you and you help them. If people didn't have friends, I think the world would not have the potential to be as happy a place for people.
There is a huge difference between a Facebook "friend" and a real life friend. Facebook has really diminished what it means to be "friends". Many people have 1000+ friends online when in realty they have nowhere near this many friends. People do not have the ability to maintain more than a few true friendships. The majority of these online friendships are nothing more than acquaintances at best.
ReplyDeleteTrue friendships however, are something to be cherished. I have many friends in my life, which is nice but I only have a few people in my life I would consider best friends. These people are the ones im most thankful for because I know no matter what they will always be there for me and I will always be there for them.