There are people who like to have many friends. But this should not be so. We should have only a few friends, but they must be our true friends A friend is one who can share your joys and sorrows
Rich people may have many friends in their prosperity. All like to enjoy themselves at the expense of those who are rich. Most of them are only fair- weather friends. If the rich man loses his money, all his friends will leave him. This shows that they are not true friends. They fail the test of friendship.
It is adversity that tests friendship. If a man is in trouble or in need and his friend stands by him that is a true friend. A good friend will never desert a man in his hour of danger.
One is reminded of an old story about two men and a bear. Two men who were supposed to be friends were crossing a forest. Suddenly they saw a bear coming, towards them. One man immediately climbed a tree, leaving the other to face the bear alone. The other man could not climb trees. So he threw himself flat on the ground and pretended to be dead. The bear came up to him and smelt him all over.
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Thinking he was dead, the bear walked away. The man who was up in the tree came down. He asked his friend what the bear had whispered in his ear. The other man, being clever, said “The bear told me not to trust any man who runs away from me when I am in danger.” This story proves that a friend in need is a friend indeed.