I believe friendship is the most genuinely humane relationship of which we are capable. To be understood and appreciated for oneself is a vital experience in life, strengthening our will to live in seen and unseen ways. Friendship multiplies by many times the amount of value we are able to create and experience in life. As the saying goes, friendship doubles our joy and halves our sorrows. Nothing brings deeper satisfaction or more lasting reward than the effort to be a true friend to another person. From my experience, friendship is not a matter of the amount of time you spend with someone. Rather, it is a measure of the strength and depth of the spiritual resonance that arises between you. Many times, meeting someone for the first time, I have felt an indescribable sense of familiarity. There are many different types of friendship. There are the people we simply feel comfortable and at ease being with. Even more precious however, in my view, are friendships that are based on a shared sense of purpose or commitment to a common cause.My own life has been blessed with many wonderful friendships. One who comes to mind is the late Linus Pauling, renowned as the father of modern chemistry and the only person to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes. We first met in 1989 when he was already 88. His passionate opposition to war was well-known, and this shared commitment played a central role in our friendship. Equally precious to me are the many friendships I have been able to forge with people who may not be known outside of their communities. There are many people throughout the world who are working tirelessly to make their immediate surroundings a better place for their fellow citizens. I often write about my friends because each has had a unique formative impact on me that I feel compelled to share.Friendship is tested and proven in adversity. Perhaps only those who have suffered truly demoralizing blows can fully appreciate the beauty of friendship. For young people, developing and maintaining friendships is a challenge. They may be distressed to discover that the person they thought was a good, trusted friend was, in fact, not. When asked by young people about this, I encourage them to focus on themselves and their own actions, rather than those of the other person. If you yourself are a good, unchanging friend, I assure them, then you will have no reason for regret even if the other person should drift away or even turn against you. The human heart holds truly fearful possibilities. I encourage young people not to allow such an experience to undermine their faith in humanity. My own efforts to create bonds of friendship with people around the world are driven by my belief that this is the most certain path to peace. There may be, for example, political alliances that may unite the peoples of two or more countries. Shared economic or trade interests may serve as a link. But bonds that are limited to these dimensions are ultimately frail and will break down in the face of stresses and conflict. Unlike the disparities of political or economic position, the spirit of friendship is one of equality. The spirit of friendship is open and universal. It has the power to transcend differences of cultural, linguistic or religious background. Crucially, it nurtures the trust that can keep channels of communication open, preventing misunderstandings from escalating into conflict. It may seem simplistic, but I firmly believe that fostering friendship among people of different backgrounds holds the key to peace in the 21st century



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