▶ Your Answer :
Opinions might be divided over whether it is better to have friends who are
similar to me than those who are different from me. People of diverse ages and
from different walks of life take diverse positions on this controversial
issue. Personally, I disagree with the statement, because by making friends
with people different from ourselves, we can build new friendships and broaden
their networks.
To begin with, people should meet many kinds of people. By doing so, they can
learn how to handle an uneasy relationship. Opponents of my perspective claim
that we should make friends with people who are similar to ourselves, because we
don’t need to be stressed out because of an awkward relationship, it can make
us feel comfortable. Advocates’ claims may sound reasonable on the surface.
However, if we take a closer look at their contentions, the rationale for their
assertion lacks logic in many ways. Moreover, my personal example can debunk
their claims. When my cousin Minsu was a high school student, he was an
introvert student. He even never talked with students who didn’t have in
common. However, after entering university, he met many people. He learned how
to interact with people who are different from him and how to read other people’s
emotions. Nowadays, he can make friends easily with students who are in other
major or have nothing in common.
Beyond my personal experience, there are many articles which can support my
argument. They expressed doubts that are similar to my point of view. A few
weeks ago, I had a chance to read an article from the Dong-A Daily News that is
related to the topic. It described the results of a survey conducted by the
Samsung Economic Research Institute social science researchers with more than 500
CEOs at large companies in Seoul. According to the article, of the 500 CEOs
surveyed more than 80 percent of them answered that they enjoy meeting people
in other fields and make friends with the people to broaden their social networks.
And they went on to say that by meeting people working in different fields,
they can learn how to handle an uneasy relationship, and widen insight for
their business. It is quite important.
As mentioned above, there are many advantages to make friends with people
different from ourselves, Therefore, I can conclude that it is better to have
friends who are different from me than those who are similar to me. |