Friendship: The Importance of Trust

Friendship is a necessary aspect of every human’s life, as we are not self sufficient in and of ourselves (Other Selves, pg. 30). Despite its necessity, in some cases we are either forced or morally required to end relationships. When the trust between two parties has been broken, the loyalty of the friendship is soiled, and it is therefore a true and just action to end the friendship.

First, let’s define what it means to be a friend. Friends can be described as: “an intimate associate, reliable, one who is not an enemy or foe, an ally, etc” (Webster’s, pg. 540). Thus, based upon the definition of a friend, we can assert that friends should not betray one another, regardless of the circumstance. This is true, if and only if, it is in the best interest of the friend.

Secondly, trust is an issue that every platonic friendship must deal with. Whether dealing with matters of trust is active or passive, its power is still a prevalent and pertinent quality that is mutually understood. Trust is an unwritten rule between friends and is defined as the “firm belief or confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability, justice, etc of another person.” (Webster’s, pg. 1436) Trust is also described as “faith”(Webster’s, pg. 1436). When using a word such as “faith,” that describes a substantial belief in one another, it is very difficult to argue that breaking the trust of the friendship is ever in the best interest of the friend.

In addition, friends are loyal. By definition loyal friends are, “faithful to those persons ideals” and are, “under obligation to defend, support, or be true to,” each other (Webster’s, pg. 802). Although the definitions of loyalty, as well as its connotations, scream commitment loyalty actually exists in many degrees. Loyalty can be seen as the pinnacle of the friendship in which case you would be willing to risk life and limb for that person. Or at the opposite end of the spectrum loyalty may not be taken seriously at all. For example, you may be loyal to the fish in your fish tank; in that you feed them, treat them well, change the water, etc. but in the case of a serious house fire you would not go running back in to rescue them. Granted there are also many stages in-between, total loyalty and minimal loyalty, but the integrity of the friendship is based around these two principles, loyalty and trust. Loyalty can determine the re...

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...to begin again and re-mend the gash in there relationship in order to continue a normal healthy relationship. Regardless of the amount of work put into setting things right, there will always be the issue of trust sitting in the back of Adams mind.

A friendships or relationships that‘s breached by a disregard for the trust established (as we saw in the last example) is never the same again as a result of the knowledge that the loyalty meant nothing or very little to the other person. This blatant disregard for the other person and their feelings is reason enough to end the friendship or relationship. If someone is willing to compromise your feelings and your trust, is it worth the pain that they have already put you thru to rebuild that relationship just so that they may do the same thing again? If you believe in the definitions of loyalty and trust the answer is a definite NO!

Works Cited:

Aristotle. “Nicomachean Ethics Books VII and IX”. Other Selves Philosophers on Friendship. Ed. Pakaluk, Michael. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1991. pg. 30

Webster’s New World College Dictionary (Third Edition). Hudson: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1996. pg. 540, 1436