The value of good friends

The value of a good friend is that a good friend will always tell you the truth.

In times of trouble, non-friends will almost always tell you what you want to hear.  Why?  Well, your own emotional struggle makes them feel bad, and they want to avoid feeling bad, so the fastest way for them to correct how they feel is for you to feel better.  Hence, they tell you what you, not truths — however difficult they may be — but rather what they think you want to hear.   This might feel good for a while, but you will always end up paying the price of not having been properly informed by these non-friends.

However, good friends instinctively know such a thing is not true empathy.  Good friends avoid telling you want you want to hear — they tell you instead what you need to hear, in order to be whole and solve your problems.

This is why good friends tell you the truth.