Since birth, we all know friendship  is unique and magically connects people. Having friends in life is vital for our growth and nourishment. Family forms an essential core, but the place of friends is unmatched as sometimes we would be surprised to know how connected we become to people who had been strangers to us a few days back and develop a tight bond of mutual understanding which we may not find in our family members. If families create our identity in the world, then friends add meaning to this identity by sharing knowledge, humor, silliness, seriousness and sometimes even frustration and temper. There are different levels of friendship in everyone’s life. Unfortunately, it has become a brand in today’s generation, where most of us run after possessing several friends, ignoring the quality. We possess vain dreams to be popular and adore measuring friendship by the number of friends or followers on social media. Hence, we attract many to laugh with but leave behind those who will catch our tears when we cry. Let us contemplate time to study the different levels of friendship and sharpen our insight about the meaning behind a friend.

CLASSROOM FRIENDS/ WORK FRIENDS

Classroom or work friends are the basic and the first level of friendship where you get the exposure and the platform to socialize, acquaint and get connected on social media. However, most often, these types of friendships are circumstantial, meaning you only get to interact with your friends due to the luck of being in the same class or working in the same place. Sometimes you may develop a mutual bond which takes you to the next level of friendship. Still, classroom or work friends often fade as soon as the circumstances providing opportunities for interaction get over. And then you lose touch with your friends, which can be painful if you wish to take the friendship forward but cannot think of any medium to execute it. 

FRIENDS TO HANG OUT WITH 

The next level of friendship starts when you take an active interest in making plans to hang out with your classroom or work friends outside the sphere of professionalism. It means you are not meeting them out of responsibility but because of passion and excitement. It is a light-hearted friendship where you go for fun activities together like movies, amusement parks, picnics or food gatherings. However, this type of friendship is easy to attract as everyone needs someone or the other to laugh with and share joyful moments. But would we feel comfortable sharing our innermost secrets and sorrows of life with these friends? Or would they be interested to spare time to shed our tears? 

CLOSE FRIENDS OR BEST FRIENDS 

Close friends or best friends are the highest levels of friendship where you feel comfortable sharing all your deepest secrets and moments with your friend. You attribute them with trust and respect by confiding everything in your life, whether positive, neutral or negative. Close friends understand you well and know mostly everything about you, like your likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, fears etc. You may hunt for numerous friends when you feel like partying, but only a best friend comes to mind when you feel low and wish to cry your heart out. Best friends are rare and one of the most precious blessings to attract. It is tough to find a best friend among so many smiling faces. 

BOYFRIEND/ GIRLFRIEND

It is a type of friendship where you develop romantic feelings for your friend and wish to get into a relationship with them. You may find them physically attractive or feel connected to them through the same hobbies or dreams. Although your boyfriend or girlfriend could also be your best friend, a best friend is often different. People feel uncomfortable acting genuine in front of their crush and begin developing a fake personality to impress them. In this scenario, titling their fascination as best friends would be a fatal mistake as they would frequently conceal their true colors from them. Most of us feel shy and start blushing in front of our boyfriend or girlfriend; we may feel fidgety and unable to stay on our natural selves.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY

International Friendship Day is a special occasion to commemorate all the friends we made in life and to express our appreciation through wishes and gifts. Tying friendship bands is also popular in some countries as it reflects this powerful bond. The exact date of International Friendship Day varies in different countries. While some observe it on the 30th of July, many celebrate it on the first Sunday of August, the 6th of August, for 2023. Answering the question of which friend we need most in life can be tricky, but it is evident that we all wish for bestfriends. Give your friend a tight hug this Friendship Day and tell them how much you care for them. You may never know when that friendship will go to the next level.