Friends and Acquaintances - STRADA PLACIDO

Salaamaleykum,

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    Of atisakhi and ati, what do I have to say about them? Atisakhi and Ati are Sanskrit words for 'great friend' and 'acquaintance', respectively.

    Atisakhi (great friend), as I've personally defined, is someone who is such a great friend that his presence in my life is as necessary as food and air itself. Someone who I wish to share joy and pain with. Someone I know, will get my back whenever I fall.... so on and so forth.

     For most of my mature life, I remember hunting for that 'perfect friend'. I had a Atisakhi in high school, later on however, we grew apart to a point he just remained as a ati to me.
    Then, at college, I met a new friend, who eventually became my new atisakhi. Few weeks after he went back to him homeland, I realised he was no more that 'atisakhi', no...he was merely another ati.
    Well, this happened again, and again and again.
Indeed, its hard everytime a person you assume as a best friend gets further from you. From having spent so much time and having fun together, to a point where you the hardly see each other and the best you can say when you meet is 'Hi.How are you?'.
    Memories can be the worst enemy in such times. Remembering the sweet memories, somewhat leaves me paralysed from creating new memories for weeks.
    I keep blaming myself for choosing wrong people to 'invest emotions' in.
    Yes, I know, it sounds like a love story...but no, its friendship.Let me make it clear.

    I'm a child (teorically), learning the ways of life. How to live and why things happen against our wants and expectations.
   It was only on my 5th atisakhi, that I realised that, 'great friends' is a very relative definition.
   At each stage of your life, you have different moods, different preference and definately different expectations from life. And at each stage, the people you befriend differ based on that stage.
   Take it like a lock-and-key teory. Different stage is a different lock. And your 'Atisakhi' is the key. As the lock changes slowly, the key also have to change.
   As horrible as it may be, but it is a fact I discovered.
   However, i also know of this little fact. Sometimes, if you look hard and smart enough, you'ill find the 'masterkey'. A key that can open no matter how the lock change. Alas, a true ATISAKHI!
   I'm gonna keep on finding, and hoping the great friends I come across will stay as such forever.
May we all find our atisakhi.
Allah Madad!