Friendship: An Enduring Art
I wanted to write about a subject that lies close to my heart: friendship.
It is a vast topic, and friendship can take many different forms for each of us. I wanted to share my own vision of this bond, and the way it has carried me throughout my life.
For me, friendship is above all a form of love. It connects two individuals through shared affinities, creating a space where souls can meet. I would even say that, compared to romantic love — often more capricious — friendship is more patient, more enduring.
Of course, I speak here of healthy friendship, the kind that lifts us, not the harmful kind that can draw us into the darker corners of ourselves. True friendship supports us at every stage of our lives. It reminds us that human beings are capable of goodness, and that the kindness it fosters is a vital force in our societies. But it can also challenge us, bring our insecurities to the surface, and nurture our ability to overcome our own inner demons.
Friendship confronts us, unites us, and reassures us. It weaves a bond within us, solid and enduring when it is genuine. It guides us when we lose our way; it becomes both the map of our past and the compass for our future. A true friendship roots itself in our being, eventually becoming an inseparable part of who we are.
Some friendships do more than accompany us: they shape us, quietly embedding themselves within our very selves, continuing to live long after the moments we shared. Montaigne expressed this perfectly about La Boétie: “Because it was he, because it was I.” A true friend thus becomes part of our inner architecture, a presence that, even in absence, continues to shape the way we exist and perceive the world.
I have always valued and cared deeply for my friendships. I have often witnessed that they can be more generous and genuine than my own family. Losing my mother when I was sixteen made me realize just how fragile life can be, and how essential positive friendships are to our healing and personal growth. Our souls crave connection and understanding, and again, through friendship we can find it.
My aim here is not to deliver a eulogy of friendship, but to honor it with dignity. It is also a quiet message of love to my friends, those who have always stood by me.
I chose for this article a painting I love by Toulouse-Lautrec: L’abandon (The Two Friends). Painted around 1894–1895, it captures the tenderness between two women working in a brothel, conveying companionship, intimacy, and empathy. Like true friendship, it reminds us of the quiet support and resilience that sustain us, especially in difficult circumstances. Beyond being a powerful testament to love, the painting also serves as a historical reflection on the resilience of women, preserving the memory of how they survived oppressive and limiting conditions.
I would like to encourage my readers to pay close attention to their friendships, and to cherish those who make us feel whole, supported and respected. Life is a song to be played with care, and we ought to compose it with wonderful friends, love and joy.
Can we cultivate the garden of our lives with friendship as one of our main fertilizers?
Can we build a better world, one small act at a time, through the bonds we nurture with those close to us? True friendship teaches us patience, generosity, and resilience. It reminds us that even in the most fragile or difficult moments, we are never truly alone.
Perhaps, if we care for these connections with the attention they deserve, we can sow seeds that bloom far beyond our own lives- creating richer, gentler, and more human world.