Have Faith: Trust..

Trust in today's friends as if they might be tomorrow's enemies. Grecian

Can you really trust another?

Is there anyone who you would trust with your life?

Are you sure that you can trust this person 100%, no matter what?

What makes you so sure?

Is it just a hunch or do you really know that you can trust this person no matter what?

What about if they were offered 10 million dollars to turn their back on you, would you still be confident about their friendship?

If not, you better be careful about placing too much trust in them. If someone will sell you out or turn their back on you for a price, they aren't really your friend.

Be very careful about how much trust you put in your "friends."

There are very few people today who have the character needed to offer someone unconditional friendship; everyone else has the potential to be today's friends and tomorrow's enemies.

"I don't give a damn for your loyal service when you think I am right; when I really want it most is when you think I am wrong." John Monash

It is not hard for someone to be a loyal friend when everything is going well and times are good.
A friend's loyalty is tested when times are not so good.
A true friend will be loyal to you even when she disagrees with you.

He/she will talk to you in private about personal opinions concerning what you are doing, but in public, she will maintain her loyalty, even if you are dead wrong. She will never trash you in public, period!

Being a loyal friend does not necessarily mean you agree with everything your friend does, but it does mean that you are dedicated to your friend - right or wrong.
True friendship is not conditional.

That kind of friend is hard to find, that animal is on the endangered species list...but then again, true friend also does not abuse help when it comes his/her way.

I have a few friends that I will trust my life with, because they are proven with blood, honour, and integrity. I am abundantly lucky......most people don't even have one.

People have forgotten one long-standing piece of wisdom. Not everything is for sale; because for most people, everything is for sale...they will indeed sell you out if the price is right. It is a rare man, the true warrior, who will stick by you no matter what.

Most people know what they will do when their back is against the wall...fold. The problem is when it comes down to it, they only care about themselves. In order to be a true friend, you have to care about your friend as much as yourself, or at least close to it.

Real friends are one of the rarest things on the planet...

We need to find out and differentiate between those who have a code and those who have no definable code beyond expedient survival.

Those friends who adhere to a code can offer us an approximation of how they will react in different circumstances whiles the rest.....who knows. A code can be used as a template that, if lived sincerely, can be projected onto existing survival mechanisms.

Once a situation arrives it's too late to adopt a personal code.

I wish I could tell you what the litmus test is on this one. I would love to say that when I look at the most tragic times in my life the people standing next to me are the friends that would not sell me out. However, that statement would not be true.

Perhaps there are people who fill in gaps in our lives, as we fill in gaps in theirs. The bonds of those relationships are in direct correlation to the needs that are being filled.

I think that the most well intentioned, loving, caring, considerate, generous, and time tested friend will fail you through no fault of their own from time to time.

My mother once told me,

"You can count your real friends on one hand, if you're lucky". I think she was right.

Perhaps the responsibility is in our hands. We should not have unreasonable expectations of our friends.

Maybe we should not be so quick to label another person a "friend" without making them earns it.

Finally, we should ask ourselves,

"What kind of friends are we"?

We throw the word "friend" around very loosely, when in fact; the way it is generally used denotes nothing more than the mere fact that we know someone's name.
And you are also right that everyone needs to consider what kind of friend they are to others...if you aren't trustworthy yourself, why would you expect someone else to be a loyal, trustworthy friend to you?

But if you live your life by high standards, being trustworthy and a true friend to your real friends should be a given.

The problem is, there are not a whole lot of people who live their lives by high standards any more.

ps/smoh