What the series “Friends” tells me about friendship
“Friends” is probably no longer strange to movie fans in general, especially those who love the Sitcom genre. The intimate, humorous story of close friends not only brings laughter but also conveys a humane message about friendship and love in life.
1. Respect your friend’s decision
In the final episodes of the series, Monica, Chandler and Rachel all made big decisions that changed their lives and partly caused their best friends to drift apart. Obviously, his romantic friend Joey is not happy with this sudden decision. However, in the end, Joey and Ross both respected their friends’ decisions knowing that it was what made them truly happy. In real life friendships too, there will be many times when you feel that your friend’s decision is strange, or simply causes a loss for yourself. However, a lasting friendship is built on respect and support for the decisions the other person makes. If you know that what they are choosing is healthy and makes them happy, support them in those decisions!
2. Accept your friend’s shortcomings
There is an obvious truth that no one in this world is perfect and neither are our friends. If Monica is really picky or overly perfectionist, then that same girl is always the one who hosts the group’s parties. If Joey is somewhat naive and carefree in many cases, he is also an emotional person and always protects his friends. Although each of us always has shortcomings, they can also be seen as an advantage in other cases. To maintain a long-term friendship, we also need to accept our friend’s shortcomings and look at them from different angles. Focus on their strengths and be tolerant of their shortcomings!
3. Listen
Among the “friends” in the series, there seems to be no such thing as “secrets”. Whenever there is a feeling of awkwardness or discomfort between them, there will always be one person who decides to speak up and be honest about what is going on. After everything was confided, they treated each other gently and sympathetically. Being willing to listen and sympathize is what makes friends honest with each other about the problems they face. The reason the six characters in the series make the audience feel as if they are a family is because they always come to each other when they have problems and they also know that their friends are ready to listen to them.
4. Treat each other kindly
Being a “best friend” does not mean that you will treat them casually, full of malice and click your tongue thinking “they will understand.” No matter how close the relationship is, the other person can still be hurt by your thoughtless jokes. Have you noticed that the characters in “Friends” often give each other sweet words like “I love you”? That’s also what Matt LeBlanc (playing Joey Tribbiani) said about what he admires about the friendships in “Friends”: “Everyone treats each other very kindly.”