July 23, 2024- We live in an age of great mobility. This leads to the circumstances that families are often far removed from each other. This is typical in a city like East Lansing with Michigan State University’s 50,000 student campus and faculty from around the country and world. Even if to a lesser extent, this is true pretty much anywhere at this time.This is a major reason friends have become more important and in many cases more important than family. It also is true we do not choose family as we do choose friends. This results in many families not getting along because the personalities of the members are so different from each other and each one develops in ways that can lead to conflicts and disagreements. As one example, sibling rivalry can lead to major later life animosity. Friendships on the other hand are with persons we have chosen to be friends due to similar outlook, living proximity, a sense of community and comradeship. The ancient Roman philosopher and orator, Cicero, stated it best when he said a true friend is another you. Friendships become even more important to persons as they grow older. There are less family members and friends around as death, retirement and persons moving to different places bring about great change. As a result, the need to maintain friendships with persons around us becomes even more important. While this seems logical, research over time does support that friends are often more important than family members in many cases. It also is true that many persons have close relationships with both family and friends. All one needs to do is talk to persons they know to determine how important friends are to them and how difficult it is emotionally for persons who do not have them. Friends can offer the following to persons that can be vital to happiness and good self-esteem in life: 1. Unconditional acceptance. 2. Honesty. 3. Emotional support. 4. Reduce loneliness. 5. Support during tough times. 6. Full opportunity to safely express emotional feelings with no restraints. 7. Self-esteem enhancement. 8. A feeling of belonging. 9. Reduce feelings of isolation. 10. Help keep a person emotionally stable.