Friends, in some ways, determine what kind of life we live and thus we choose them carefully. Since friends have different types, people naturally try to distinguish good ones from the bad. Some people claim that it offers more advantages to make friends with people who can have fun with them than with people who can help them when they are in need. However, my attitude is just the opposite of such statement. I believe that no one is more important and valuable than those who can help.
Making friends with people who can have fun with us is not always necessary or beneficial. Having fun is indeed an indispensable part of life, yet we do not always need friends to do so. When the timing is right, we can have fun with anyone without making friends with them. It is just like that we dance with strangers on a square when celebrating the national day, or that we have an interesting chat with the driver while taking a taxi. Such things happen frequently, but these people do not necessarily become our friends. What is more, even if such people become our friends, they would not act as important ones if the only thing we do together is having fun. Staying with fun friends too much can easily distract our attention from things that we are supposed to focus on, which means a waste of time and letting opportunities slip. People with so many tasks to deal with every day seldom need or think of their fun friends.
On the contrary, friends who can help us when we are in need not only benefit our life but even change it in an unexpected positive way. Getting support from others always brings us a sense of security and makes us feel safe no matter what difficulty we encounter. Making friends with such people means comfort, protection, and sometimes, even privileges. That is why many of us consider making some local friends the most urgent mission that we need to accomplish after moving to a new city or a new country. In addition, some people not only help us when we ask for assistance but even remind us of what we need or lack without being required to. These people can be our saviors as well as mentors, for they can even prevent us from being too proud of ourselves and making terrible mistakes. To me, my parents are such kind of friends and they give me advice even if they know that I may not like it. Thanks to them, I have achieved accomplishments better than most people expected.
Friends might be the most influential people in our lives. They are like teachers, supporters and reminders. Although we can also have fun with them, we still know quite clearly that this is not why we value them so much.