Many of us throughout middle school and high school have made many friends. You and I have encountered many people and found connections through them, but the ones who stayed were those we trusted the most. Finding an honest friend is difficult and takes time. Seeing whether they are loyal and supportive is important. They will be able to stand by you in good and bad situations. Assessing their loyalty can be important because it leads to longer and stronger friendships.

Having an honest friend is important because it’s the building block of becoming friends. Knowing they won’t lie to you builds comfort around the both of you. Throughout my life, I have only had 5 close friends. We told each other everything and kept it to ourselves. Having a dishonest friend can lead you to be hurt such as in Othello “After long seeming dead: Iago hurt him, Iago set him on.”. Iago manipulated and lied to everyone causing them to get hurt.  Honesty is crucial because it’s the way your friends judge you and can prevent them from seeing you as bad.

Many of us have had incompetent friends who think they are better and always neglect what they have done wrong. The problem with having friends like this is they can’t move on and can sometimes hold you back too. Sometimes these friends can struggle to provide support or advice which often leads to a one-sided relationship. Research shows that “they make mistakes, reach poor decisions, and prevents them from catching their errors.”. It’s important to know that we all aren’t perfect but if a friend’s incompetence is holding you back and not allowing your personal growth it’s best to question if the friendship you have is beneficial. 

Another characteristic of having a trustworthy friend is being supportive. Their support can come physically or emotionally. Having a supportive person can allow you to talk to them about your ups and downs and help relieve stress.  An example of this is when Desdemona says to Othello “My love doth so approve him, That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns–Prithee, unpin me–have grace and favor in them”. Desdemona shows her support with her unwavering love towards Othello as she notices that he is in a bad mood. Those who are supporting you are good for your mental health and offer comfort. This allows you to be happier and have self-esteem.

Identifying someone who is a trustworthy friend is not something that can happen overnight. Becoming close friends takes time and there are steps to building that relationship with them. Their honesty is important because it starts a foundation of trust between the both of you and is someone who wouldn’t deceit you. Having a supportive friend can help when you are facing a difficult situation. They will be able to provide different perspectives of a situation and help lead to better resolutions. Having a friend who has shared values is important because they can help guide you towards a goal and make you feel a sense of belonging. Having the same values as someone else can help motivate you to work harder and enhance your performance. Communication between friends is important as it allows you to better understand each other. You learn about each other’s feelings, thoughts, goals, and perspectives.