I usually don’t take the time to classify friends but recently I’ve been reminiscing about my high school days and some of the friends I had that turned out not to be true friends in the end. My memories led me into deep thinking and I came to the conclusion that all my friends, the ones who are still there and the ones that have let me down, have three different faces: the friends that laugh with you and talks bad behind your back, the friends that hope you’ll succeed so they can leech off you, and the friends that just sincerely there for you through thick and thin. The aforementioned three were even brought to my attention again by a relative, but when you break them down you find that those kinds of friends exist in reality.

The friend that talks bad behind your back and the friend that leeches off of your achievements are somewhat the same because both are really fake; the only difference is that one doesn’t want you to succeed while the other wants you to succeed only to reap your rewards. It’s not easy to decipher who has your back from who doesn’t unless those friends mess up. For example, the one hoping for your failure might discuss it with another who in return goes back to you. And the friend wanting to live off of you will eventually put their true form on display when you fail to live up to their expectations. However, there are times when you can feel there’s something off about the friends you keep, and sometimes it’s important to trust your instincts. I’ve always chosen my friends wisely. I learnt something in Sunday school that stood with me as I matured, “show me your friend and I’ll tell you who you are”. If people saw that my friends were crack heads, then that’ll be proof enough for them that I’m a crack head as well. And I’m not talking about the friends that used to be next to perfect and went down the wrong path, in that case then it’s best to stick with them and help them through it. This leads me to the friends that are genuine and sincere when it comes to friendship.

Like everyone else, I want friends that will hold me down and have my best interest at heart, as I will do the same for them. I want friends that aren’t only confidants but as close as family. Who doesn’t? But let’s be realistic, in today’s society it’s truly difficult to figure out who’s your friend and who’s your enemy. And if you are currently reading this and starting to wonder if your friends are really your friends then maybe you need to tap into your instincts.

That’s just my opinion. Leave your comments below.