Why you need to tell your friends you love them
Posted on July 28, 2017 by Isabelle Fraser

How friendships can make a better local and global world… one friend at a time!
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” ― Linda Grayson (Actor)
We’ve written about friendships and the importance of them to expats before on the World Blogs (‘Why expat friends are the best — or are they?‘). And some of our Guest Bloggers (‘How to cope when your friends become expats‘) and our fabulous ‘Expat of the Week’ contributors have written about friendship too. So, clearly the UN’s International Day of Friendship, on 30 July, is close to many hearts.
It’s also clear to us here at Angloinfo that friendships definitely make our immediate or ‘local’ worlds better, whether you’re an expat or not. But do they make the world as a whole, the global stage, a better place to live?
The United Nations says of this year’s special friendship day: “Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.”
I do think friendships connect our individual worlds. And today, with the Internet, it is so much easier to maintain local and global friendships. Just look at how social media has helped — especially Facebook which allows old and new friends to stay in touch and reconnect all over the globe. Are we creating a feel-good factor, “generating passion” and “weaving a safety net” with our friendships?

I for one know that I couldn’t manage without my local and global friends, mostly because my family are either too far flung for regular hugs, too old to use social media for quick chats, or too busy to meet up very regularly.
“I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” ― Jon Katz (Author)
The UN says it was inspired to form the International Day of Friendship because, “Friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and presents an opportunity to build bridges between communities, honouring cultural diversity”.
If you have the chance, tell your friends how much you care for them…perhaps it will be the start of “friendship ripple” across the world — no one can deny that’s a good thing!
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Originally published at www.angloinfo.com on July 28, 2017.
