Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

ALBORNOZ: High Marks on a Test of Friendship

From a young age, we are taught the Golden Rule: to treat others as we wish to be treated. It is rooted in our basic humanity, which impels us, regardless of religion, culture or education, to recognize every human being’s fundamental need to belong somewhere and to feel loved — in a manner that translates deeply into the friendships we foster.

Three weeks before the start of my senior year of high school, I underwent an unexpected major surgery. During my time in the hospital, childhood friends surrounded me, made me laugh, held my hand, prayed and cried with me. Two months after that, when my grandmother suddenly passed away, those same friends sent me a letter containing money that they had quietly collected among themselves to donate to a diabetes foundation in her honor. We still communicate frequently, despite the fact that I am here at Georgetown and they are conquering their own college campuses. I entered Georgetown with a conception of friendship grounded in that foundation, and I continue to stand firm in my belief that there is the potential for friendship in each person I meet.

We are taught by our life experiences. These experiences encourage us to discern between good and bad, right and wrong, advantageous and detrimental. They are rooted in the reality of situations that contribute to the evolution from childhood innocence into adult wisdom. My friendships at Georgetown have provided me with wisdom that has made me who I am at this exact moment and continues to allow me grow in self-discovery.

At the beginning of freshman year, craving the chance to explore deeper questions, I declared a philosophy major. However, I soon discovered that, often, my answers to many metaphysical inquiries were quite limited. Aristotle describes the ideal friend as a person who loves another for the sake of that other person. This altruistic friendship is primarily a matter of virtuous character that is not based on personality, physical attributes or intellectual pursuits. While Aristotle also acknowledges that these friends can be rare to find, I’m lucky to say I have found them here at Georgetown.

These friends ask me what’s wrong before I’ve realized something is amiss. They are the friends who treat me to a snack during a late night in Lau or who welcome me home with applause after a victory with the mock trial team. They know when to laugh with me and when to gently laugh at me. They are the ones who show their true colors when the summit of the semester is at its peak and when schoolwork and other demands tempt all students to be selfishly stingy with their time. They are also the ones who have shown me that true friendship exists when there is a communion of souls — when kindness transcends basic human compassion and becomes the enriching element of our daily experiences.

During our college years, we are forced to reckon with the lives we leave behind at home and the identities we are striving to form as adults. The most important knowledge I have gained has come through the spirits of individuals whose altruism astounds me. The friends I have made here have weathered the most difficult storms of character with me and have lifted me through them without seeking something in return.

In a philosophy seminar on free will this semester, I was presented with a deeper question about the possibility of an ideal friendship. I sat for a while and listened as my classmates argued for and against any realistic possibility of this ideal. My mind recalled the past three years I’ve spent on Georgetown’s campus, and, for once, the answer to a metaphysical inquiry was easy to find.

Bebe Albornoz is a senior in the College. This is the final appearance of Through the Hoya Lens this semester.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *