This world is full of fair-weather friends. A fair-weather friend is selfish. He is your friend as long as you are rich and prosperous. The moment you are in trouble, he forsakes you. He does not love you. He loves your riches and the gifts and the presents you give him.
The moment you cease showering gifts and favours on him, he falls out with you. He is not prepared to make the least sacrifice for you. A fair- weather friend makes your life a hell. He disturbs your peace of mind at every step.
A fair-weather friend has an oily tongue. He is very polite. He is a past master in the art of flattery. He knows how to dupe, deceive and mislead his friends. He knows how to grind his own axe. To make money by fair means or foul is the be-all and-end all of his life.
We all have read the story of two friends and a bear. Once two friends were passing through a dense forest. All of a sudden, a bear came out of its cave. It began to grunt. Both felt terrified. The fair- weather friend ran hard and climbed up a tall tree.
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The other laid himself on the ground and pretended to be dead. The bear came and sniffed him. He took him for dead and went away. Now the fair weather friend climbed down the tree and said to his friend, “What did the bear whisper into your ears?” He answered that the bear had advised him to beware of fair-weather friends. They were more dangerous than snakes.
A true friend, on the other hand, is the medicine of life. He stands by us in weal and woe, through thick and thin.
A true friend foregoes his own pleasure and convenience for the sake of his friend. True friendship is always founded on love and self-sacrifice. The friendship between Krishna and Sudama is a classic example of genuine friendship.