Friendships

Friends are very important in our lives. Friendships are easily formed when we are young and do not demand too much out of it. According to studies and research, humans tend to form highest number of friendships at kindergarten and primary level. However, one tends to have less friends as one grows older and wiser. This is because we realize there are good friends and bad ones.

The saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed is very apt in this scenario because good friends are those who are reliable and trustworthy. at a younger age, our demands are not too high regarding friendships as we rely mostly on our parents, siblings and relatives for important things. The friends we formed at this age are merely considered playmates rather than companions and confidants. Thus, our expectations of them are not high.

More serious friendships are formed when one enters puberty and achieves certain level of maturity. the latter allows one to forge fellowship with those who share the same interests, passion as well as similar moral and religious values. Thus, it is not surprising to observe that in some Asian country, mature students at the upper secondary level have friends of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds. At the university level, it is even more apparent. Even the Ministry of education has voiced concern over this phenomenon where polarization is prominent. The Indians, Chinese and Malays hardly mix with each other and are seen usually in the company of their own kind.

One of the main reasons for polarization among university students is that as they reach a certain level of maturity, common binding factors such as religion, customs and traditions play important role in selection of friends or mates. In addition, since majority of these students come from rural backgrounds where there is not much cultural interchange, they feel rather awkward to forge friendships with students of other races. However, this does not mean the students are