[Writing] TPO49-The ability to maintain friendships with a small number of people over a long period of time is more important for happiness than the ability to make many new friends easily

Hello, there. I would be grateful if you could provide some feedback about my essay.

1. Is it logical? (Is it a connection between examples and thesis statements?)
2. Is it well organized? (Is it well developed and organized and uses relevant examples?)

Question: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The ability to maintain friendships with a small number of people over a long period of time is more important for happiness than the ability to make many new friends easily. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Should people maintain friendships with a small number of people over a long period of time? People tend to possess widely divergent viewpoints on the ability to make friends. While it is increasingly becoming common that people should care more about the ability to maintain friendships than the ability to make new friends, I consider that the latter one is much more important for happiness based on the following supporting reasons.

First of all, the majority of people have tight schedules, and the ability to make new friends easily enables them to have fun at any time. That is to say, making many new friends rather than maintaining a small number of friends allows them to save their time and have fun. For example, when I was a freshman, I had to take good care of both my academics and my part-time job. So, I only had 5 hours to hang out with friends every week. Thus, I equipped myself with the ability to make many new friends. As a result, I could have fun with different people no matter what time I need friends to company with. On the other hand, if I only maintained friendships with a small number of people, then I might not find anyone who happens to have time to accompany me. Accordingly, the ability to make new friends easily benefits people who are busy.

In addition, people should take care of their budgets, and the ability to make new friends in an easy way allows them to control expenses. To be more specific, making many friends costs fewer budgets than maintaining friendships with few people over a long period of time. For instance, my roommate, Lily, is a party animal. She is adept at making many new friends but is not good at maintaining friendships. So, she doesn’t need to prepare gifts for friends on their birthday. Also, she doesn’t need to spend a great amount of income to support friends for weddings. As a result, she could control her expenses, and spend money on herself to gain happiness. Apparently, by the means of making more new friends, people could save their money.

Admittedly, those who have opposite opinions toward the ability to make friends may argue that the ability to maintain friendships is significant because it could help people to build stronger relations with others. Yet, even if the ability to maintain friendships is necessary, the ability to make many new friends is still much more essential since it is fundamental for people to build strong relationships with others. Say, if people have the ability to make many new friends, then they could have more chances to build strong relations with others. On the contrary, if people have the inability to make new friends, then they could never have a chance to start their friendships with others not to mention closer relationships. Therefore, since the ability to make new friends provides people with a first step to build a relationship, it should be viewed as the optimal ability notwithstanding the arguments.

To sum up, as an old Chinese saying goes, “Shoot two hawks with one arrow.” Considering that the ability to make more new friends easily has several beneficial effects, such as saving time and controlling budgets, I severely confirm that the ability to make many new friends is more important for happiness than the ability to maintain friendships.

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Welcome to the forum Fish_Leamiltter.

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Hi Fish_Leamiltter,

  • Sometimes a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Good luck with your essay.
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