Michael Miller

Reflections 323: Harrison

March 24, 2012

Reflection #6

            I have all kinds of friendships with numerous people, some closer than others, and some that are great to talk to. But I’ve also had friends who have been something to get something out of because of a necessity I would have needed in the past. I have, in Aristotelian terms, a utility and pleasure friendship with at least one or more of my friends anywhere. As far as I know, I do not have any virtuous friendships because of being committed to something entirely. Most of my friendships are based on pleasure because I enjoy being with my friends a lot more than getting something practical out of them. I could see one of my friendships being able to ascend to a virtuous friendship; but in order for that to happen, we would both need to know each other better and be able to be committed to something that we both find good and be able to do stuff without asking the other for a favor in return.

            Everybody questions their own identity at one point, but for me, it happened frequently. I remember when I was in high school, I wasn’t too religious, despite being a part of a church choir, but my junior year, I became more devout than I ever had been, but by the end of that year, I began to question why I did and found that I was just scared by the possibilities after death. After this, I started to slowly lose my faith and became more comfortable with not knowing what will happen. As for an emotional attachment, I haven’t reacted emotionally without thinking about the consequences because I always think about what might happen if I do something so to avoid pain or hurt. I might have experienced something like that, but I do not remember a specific instance like that.