Aesthetics (ĕs-thĕt'ĭks)
The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and expression of beauty, as in the fine arts. The study of the psychological responses to beauty and artistic experiences. A conception of what is artistically valid or beautiful.
Is friendship aesthetic?One of the most challenging areas of friendship is what to do when a “friend” really socks it to you, presuming, if they were asked why, to be helping you by saying something boldly hurtful or tacitly threatening. In reality, they might be acting out of their own pain and using you, at the moment, as a target for it. Ouch.
Did that “friend” just disqualify them self from the title of “friend”?
I’m thinking, yes. In that moment at least, they are not a friend; they have become, for a moment, an enemy. They are not acting in your best interests, but in their own.
The larger question is will you return evil for evil or will you go the extra mile and
“love your enemies”?
If you’re a true friend, you will do the latter. Love might look like patiently absorbing the pain and praying. It might look like calling out your momentary enemy on what they are doing, and trying to make peace. It might look like calling the enemy tactics what they are (sometimes people have no idea what they’re doing; but sometimes people don’t want to know, too, so this can be tricky).
Every friendship has twists and turns and momentary lapses into defending personal ground rather than the common ground upon which friendship is cultivated. When “my” ground is more important than “ours” … this is when I wonder about friendship the most.
Thinking about aesthetics's...shared aesthetic experiences.When is there truly mutuality in the relationship, and when is it simply that you are being ”friendly” for whatever reason but there is no real mutual commitments to true and lasting friendship?
What is my responsibility as a follower of Jesus when it comes to my relationships this way?
There is a cost to friendship.
Can you afford it? Are you willing?
Friend is an honorable and responsibilty filled title. i am a word girl. And when you can understand me past my foot in my mouth:) titles are important.
ReplyDeleteI have only told one man "I love you"- it was not a description of feelings inside me- those are words of commitment. I will lay my life down for you, I will submitt to you, . . . Father is a title of honor, Mother, etc. To me Friend is a title of honor and commitment. I have never understood the flipancy of the use of that word.
Freindship goes beyond Christian care and love. Friendship includes a deep shoulder to shoulder walk along someone.
People on the same path that we see along the way and have interaction with, these are people in our family- like the cousins we love and laugh with at a reunion but do not share life with. Not a friend, these are people that I sit with, walk with, . . . this is a relationship that takes time to cultivate.
Not to be flippant but, you don't have one date and call a man your boyfriend.
Jesus refers to only a few as friends not everyone he helps, helps him,or sees in the crowd listening to him.
If someone hurts you does it mean they are not your friend?
If you can not go to that person, does it mean that you are not their friend?
Maybe. Is that the end of the world? No. Are we instructed by scripture to go to that person- yes.
Does our definition of the relationship determine our behavior? -OR- does our behavior eventually lend to definition of the relationship?
I lean towards the latter. It is the pattern of behaviors that should be the definer. After all is that not what God says about "Christians". It is our pattern of behaviors that defines us as Christian. THey will know you are Christians by your love.
"Walk as Jesus walked"
"Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only"
"this is love- care for widows and orphans"
SOmething happened. Breath in and out. Do what God has asked you to do. Listen within the situation. and . . .'Don't loose your ground". Maybe this person was not your friend- but maybe it was a human moment , just a really hurtful human moment.
M