▶ Your Answer : As this society consider materials the most, it is prevailing to accept that a friendship can't be sustained if one of them has more money than the other one. In my opinion, however, I utterly think that regardless of the economic gap, a friendship can be good. Furthermore, I insist that the gap can give positive affect to a friendship.
First of all, the most important factor in forging friendship is not economic power, but common interests such as music, movie or physical exercise. When we establish a friendship, it is not a consideration whether he has more money than I. On the contrary, when we want to make friends, what we do at first is to discover common factor in others. And therefore, in case that a person ardently supports my favorite soccer team, we develop positive impression on him, which help to forge thick relationship. According to a research conducted by Seoul National University, it questioned to various generations from eighteen to sixty years that when you form friendship, which part you consider the most. Eighty- percent of interviewee answered the most decisive part is common interests. Meanwhile, just four-percent of interviewee reply that the most critical part is economic power. It means that however much economic gap exist between friends, a friendship never change. According to the study, what really affect on friendships is common interests. Therefore, we can know the fact that economic gap can't harm a friendship.
Second reason is that rather, the difference of economic power make a friendship stronger. It is formed not only by common interests, but also 'give and take' relationship. We should not forget the fact that a friend in need is a real friend. If a person ,with his all heart, helps his friend who is trapped in economic slump, he feel owed to his real friend, The grateful emotion makes him try to do his best for the friend. That is, a favor gives a birth to another favor. If virtuous cycle is formed in this way, friendship between them become much stronger than when the virtuous cycle doesn't exist. For example, in my high school days, my friend's father failed business. And therefore, his family suffer from poverty, which makes hard to hang around with class-friends. As my family was comparatively affluent at that time, we give not a few money to him. That money was used for the essential livelihood. He expressed deep grateful mind to my family by letters. As he was not expected to surprise me in this way, I was really touched, which makes me have more favorable emotion on him. After a series of the event, we became best friends. Eventually, a economic gap makes a friendship thicker by generating virtuous cycle. Therefore I think that despite of economic difference, friends can build a strong friendship.
In conclusion, I strongly oppose the assertion that if one of them has more powerful economic ability than the other one, a friendship get easily divided. First, what is the critical part in forging good relationships is common interests. Second, economic gap can be helpful to make a friendship stronger. |