High School English essays

Friendships

Friends are very important in our lives. Friendships are easily formed when we are young and do
not demand too much out of it. According to studies and research, humans tend to form highest
number of friendships at kindergarten and primary level. However, one tends to have less friends
as one grows older and wiser. This is because we realize there are good friends and bad ones.

The saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed is very apt in this scenario because good
friends are those who are reliable and trustworthy. at a younger age, our demands are not too
high regarding friendships as we rely mostly on our parents, siblings and relatives for important
things. The friends we formed at this age are merely considered playmates rather than
companions and confidants. Thus, our expectations of them are not high.
More serious friendships are formed when one enters puberty and achieves certain level of
maturity. the latter allows one to forge fellowship with those who share the same interests,
passion as well as similar moral and religious values. Thus, it is not surprising to observe that in
some Asian country, mature students at the upper secondary level have friends of the same ethnic
and religious backgrounds. At the university level, it is even more apparent. Even the Ministry of
education has voiced concern over this phenomenon where polarization is prominent. The
Indians, Chinese and Malays hardly mix with each other and are seen usually in the company of
their own kind.
One of the main reasons for polarization among university students is that as they reach a certain
level of maturity, common binding factors such as religion, customs and traditions play
important role in selection of friends or mates. In addition, since majority of these students come
from rural backgrounds where there is not much cultural interchange, they feel rather awkward
to forge friendships with students of other races. However, this does not mean the students are
racist or suffer from superiority complex. Thus, the university should introduce more programs
that allow cultural and religious mixing and understanding of the other.
Nevertheless, in the working world, a different scenario prevails. One finds Indians, Chinese and
other races forging stable and long lasting friendships. This is most probably due o the fact that
to be productive in one's work, one has to believe in team work. The latter actually enhances the
bond between the workers and eventually long lasting friendships are formed. In fact, this
situation has even led to many inter racial marriages between the three major races. the products
of the intermarriages are very unique as they have friends and relatives from both ethnic
backgrounds.