Aristotle’s Essential Guide to Being a Good Friend
Should we use the people around us?
The relationships we form drastically impact our quality of life. They offer someone to laugh and share our experiences with, or a shoulder to cry on when things get tough.
But nobody wants to get used by a friend. So we put our guard up when talking to a stranger, and slowly lower it as we start to trust them. But even then, we may be left wondering: “is this person using me?”
Do I make them more popular? Are they using me for my money? Or do they genuinely care about me?
On the flip side, you may be left wondering: is it okay for me to use my friends? If they have something I want, should I manipulate the situation to get it?
The answer is obviously no. In doing so, we would violate a condition of the friendship, like their trust.
So how do we avoid situations like these? With that question left unanswered, 4th-century Philosopher Aristotle explored what it means to be a good friend in Nichomachean Ethics.
Aristotle has been hailed as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. His discussion of relationships is among his most influential work. He believed friendship is an essential component of a meaningful and worthwhile life. For that…