Friendship and Self-Interest

The true test of friendship is seen when one disregards a friend due to self-interest.

This statement is not only true in politics but in almost all aspects of life. Indeed, nothing is permanent except change because no matter how close we are with someone if self-preservation and self-interest prevail, gone will be the friendship established through the years.

It is so frustrating if you trusted someone so deeply and it turns out he/she does not think about your welfare. More often than not, the bottom line is money if not fame and power. Man has the natural tendency to accumulate wealth because this will enable him to be powerful and alongside with this, become famous.

In the workplace alone, people vie for promotions, recognition and the superior’s attention. In some instances, there are those who “step on the foot” of others, even friends, just to get the much-coveted position. These people should have borne in their minds, however, that trust is not built overnight. It is shaped and polished by time that once it topples it is hard or even impossible to restore.

To be with someone in the workplace, a friend for that matter, who has hurt you in one way or another due to betrayal of trust is not a healthy scenario. Though you can both be civil to each other, the mark of distrust is already there and the hurt just stays dormant and could be awakened anytime.

If only people could be contented with what they have that they deserve at the moment and wait for the right time, there would be no broken relationships and shattered friendships. This is hard to be realized, of course, since men are by nature competitive and more often unmindful of the consequences.

By: Evelyn Mendoza