To have friends, we must be friendly ourselves. To begin any friendship, someone must break the ice and try to connect. Yet with so many selfish people looking to take advantage of others, it is no wonder some don't want to risk a potential confrontation. The key to unlocking the door to someone's protective shield might be as simple as a smile, a kind word or a willingness to offer a helping hand.
Consider those who believe they should always agree with friends whether the friends are right or wrong. These people call this being loyal. But in reality, it is misplaced loyalty.
Think about it. Do you want a friend who is loyal to you or loyal to the truth? Compromising the truth isn't loyalty; it's deception—even if it is supposedly done out of kindness. Real friends will be loyal first to the truth and secondarily to us. In following this order, our friends can help us likewise be loyal to the truth.
Mistaken loyalty is one wrong idea regarding friendships. Abandonment is another.
In order to keep from agreeing with a friend who is wrong, some abandon their friends whenever a problem arises. They'd seemingly rather disappear or pretend not to notice than to deal with what is really happening.
At times it may seem the situation is hopeless and that reconciliation is impossible. However, one of the wonderful things about being human is the ability to change our minds when we are shown that our conclusion or position on an issue is not appropriate.
Changing our minds, though, is not an automatic response. We usually think we are right about our decisions, and once our feelings are hurt we tend to think the worst of the other person. Our minds will race to find real or imagined reasons why our feelings of hurt are justified. Therefore changing our minds, at least when conflict is involved, is not the easiest thing to do. We must be willing to admit that our conclusions may not be the correct ones.