It is better to make friends with intelligent people than with people who have a good sense of humour. What’s your opinion?
To argue that a particular type of friend is better than another is to misunderstand the point of friendship. Friendship is not an academic exercise, nor are people so easily categorisable: intelligence and humour, for instance, come in a variety of styles, whilst seemingly intelligent people can make stupid mistakes, and humorous people do not always want to be the clown.
As well as this, one’s mood changes, as do situations. A person generally drawn to intellectual discussion but suffering heartbreak may not desire analysis, but rather a sympathetic ear; in such a case there is a place for a compassionate friend in life. When life asks for a celebration, then a person with a sense of humour becomes key.
Friendship also relies on intangible, unquantifiable qualities. One’s spouse – supposedly one’s best friend – is not chosen from a Mensa meeting, but from a deeper feeling labelled ‘love’. Best friends who stay with each other through life do so because of loyalty, without ever being able to explain why these two individuals chose to help each other. Intelligence and humour are incidental when compared to these stronger, undefinable bonds.
In short, the ideal friend is a subjective idea: there is no perfect model, and every person on the planet is seeking different manners of companionship. As friendship is not limited to one person, so there is no reason to impose barriers or a hierarchy and a person can have intelligent friends, humorous friends, sympathetic friends and more. In this sense there is no ‘better’ style of friend, just the right friends.