Qualities you love in a platonic friendship

[Tallison]

Among many others, one for me is the ability to comfortably spend time together in complete silence. It's a testament to the quality of unspoken companionship.

My friend, Shannon, reminded me how much I value this earlier today. :hug:

[Tallison]

1. Kick for Shannon

:hi:

[Flying Dream Blues]

2. Trust, humor and someone who really gets it. nt

[Tallison]

3. "Getting it" must involve chemistry, somehow, no?

to which extent I suppose it (chemistry) does constitute a component of all friendships, even platonic ones.

Good point, TTLG. :thumbsup:

BTW, TTLG is my most favorite book by my most favorite writer. :hi:

[Flying Dream Blues]

6. Yes, chemistry and just having a similar world view...nt

TTLG is a reference to how I've felt since * took over...up is down, peace is war, bad is good...the world as we knew it is upside down, and we're the ones that people think are crazy!!

But the book is great, too! :hi:

[Tallison]

8. The book is about the aesthetics of disorder and how we're all

contributors to and benefactors of (sometimes unwittingly, often ignorantly, frequently without any prior experience of) the experience of being human.

I've recently regarded thoughtfulness as the product of and mediating agency between what our hearts want and what our minds know. Among my goals for this lifetime, becoming thoughtful of and compassionate about all those who suffer is by far the most important.

BikeWriter's ordeal reminded me of this today.

:grouphug:

[Omphaloskepsis]

4. I was thinking about this earlier today..

I ran into a old friend (hadn't talked in years) last night and we can sit in total silence for hours. And we don't feel like we need to talk. It is wonderful.. I consider it a good test of friendship.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

5. Second the trust -- and the bliss of it being so unquestioning

and uncomplicated. I also treasure the delightful innocence of physical closeness - to hold & be held, simply because.

My closest friend (who just got married - yay B!) & I took a fair bit of flack as we tried to convince people that our friendship was just that. I know many, many guys & a great few women who refuse to believe platonic relationships can exist. To quote Chris Rock - "Men don't have platonic friends. We just have women we haven't fucked yet." Maybe we'll all become more enlightened in the future.

----

"Through the Looking Glass" -- Channel 4 (a British station) did a decent adaptation about 5 years ago - it's a bit hit & miss, but the hits ("The Walrus & the Carpenter" especially) make it worth a look:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006FO9C4/ref=ase_imdb-adbox/103-4273565-5470220?v=glance&s=dvd

[alarcojon]

7. Comfort level

Someone you can be totally yourself with.

A shared intellectual curiosity.

For me, a certain goofiness - I guess that goes with the "someone you can be totally yourself with" bit. I don't stay friends long with snooty people.

[jpgray]

9. Not the sex, obviously (nt)

[Wapsie B]

10. The silence part is big with me too.

But first and foremost is that there is no sexual attraction on the part of either person. You may call it platonic but if the other person is harboring a desire to have sex with you then it's most definitely not platonic.

[Elidor]

11. Sex. It makes a platonic relationship soo much better :)

But that's just me.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. I thought about this, and I realized

the best thing is you can be touchy/huggy with platonic friends, and even flirt a little, and there's none of the weirdness and second-guessing that goes with that in other kinds of relationships. Since I need to touch and be touched but not necessarily sexually, that's really important to me.

[Buddyblazon]

13. The eternal sexual tension

;)