And a youth said, “Speak to us on Friendship. Your friend is your needs answered”

Just what are our needs? Money? Love? Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs that purports that any human has the potential to grow into a healthy, self-actualized individual if basic, instinctual needs are met in a certain order.

When the youth asks about Friendship in Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, the answer is, “Your friend is your needs answered.” (Gibran, “The Prophet: On Friendship”).

Thus, a good friend will fulfill the hierarchy of needs to enable an individual to meet his/her full potential as a human being. Maslow’s five basic needs are physiological needs, safety needs, needs of belongingness, needs for esteem, and needs for self-actualization (Simons, Irwin, and Drinnien).
As Gibran stated, your friend is your needs answered. If the first need is physiological, Gibran states that as his first illustration. “He is your field which you sow… and he is your board and your fireside, For you come to him with your hunger (Gibran, “The Prophet: On Friendship”).
First and foremost, a friend meets your most basic needs for food and shelter. Even Simon and Garfunkel said, “When you’re down and out/ When you’re on the street … I will comfort you” (Simon, “Bridge”).  Throughout time, people in all societies have come together in friendship to ensure a place in which to live and a way to ensure food stores.
There were hunters and gatherers, farmers, industrialist, businesspeople. It is the collegiality, comradeship, companionship that enables us to propagate our survival. But to take it a step further, the physiological needs include all of the vitamins, minerals and chemicals to keep our bodies functioning properly. We can be our own friend if we listen to our bodies and fulfill those needs.
The next requirement Maslow lists is safety needs. This need will only be felt once the former needs for food and shelter are met. Again, throughout the millennia, humans have come together to protect each other against some common enemy.
The formation of ordered societies shows the innate human desire for stability and structure; a home in a safe neighborhood, a good job, a comfortable pension. We breed our children by providing boundaries and limits to ward of insecurity and fear. It is our way of meeting this need.
 Once a person is fed and safe, he/she needs to feel a part of something bigger, something universal. Friends historically have been able to provide this sense of belonging.
As humans develop and explore their world, they acquire friends. Children make friends in school. Teens rely on their friends to learn who they are to become.  Adults look for belonging in a career, a relationship, a family and friends.
After all, friends do “go together like rama lama lama de dingity dinga dong. That’s the way it should be” according to Maslow (Jacobs and Warren, “Together”).
As it would follow, once the need for belonging is met, the need for esteem arises. Not only does one need to feel a part of something substantial, but also feel they are looked on or regarded as important and vital to that substance.
This is what Maslow calls the lower version of esteem (Boeree, “Personality”).  People look outside of themselves for acceptance, recognition, appreciation, even fame.  Part of Maslow’s hierarchy also includes what he calls the higher version of the esteem issue; self-esteem (Boeree, “Personality”).
This version includes the need for self-respect, self-confidence, achievement and independence. Maslow considers this the higher form because while it is more difficult to achieve, once you have self-respect, it is much harder to lose than the respect of others (Boeree, “Personality”).
It is important to note here that once all of the previous needs are met, we no longer feel a need for them. We are satiated. A good, true friend has stood by us in fulfilling and continuing to fulfill these needs. It is that same good, true friend that will accompany us on the last journey to self-actualization.
The last craving we will feel, once we arrive at that level, will continue to be felt. It is our desire to “be all that we can be.” The more we feed this hunger, the stronger it becomes. However we cannot focus on living up to our potential if we are hungry, cold, scared, alone. The true friend is one who helps us maintain the lower needs so we can pursue the higher. In a perfect world, we would do the same for our friend.
Friendship then is a journey. It is the meeting of all needs along the way to being all that a person can be. Friendship is there for the long haul; “for self is a sea boundless and measureless” as The Prophet says.  “Say not, ‘I have found the truth,’ but rather, ‘I have found a truth.” (Gibran, “The Prophet: On Friendship”) because the journey you will take with your friend is endless.
Works Cited
Bolton, Michael, “Safe Place From the Storm.” MusicSongLyrics. 1 March 2009. MusicSongLyrics.com. <http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/M/michaelboltonlyrics/michaelboltonsafeplacefromthestormlyrics.htm>
Boeree, C. George, “Personality Theories: Abraham Maslow.” Webspace.ship.edu. 1 March 2009. Webspace.ship.edu. < http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html>
Gibran On Friendship
Gibran, Kahlil, “The Prophet.” The Other Boardroom Discussion Group. 24 February 2009. Leb.net. <http://leb.net/~mira/works/prophet/prophet.html>
Jacobs, Jim and Warren Casey, “We Go Together” MetroLyrics, 1 March 2009. MetroLyrics.com. <http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/g/grease8951/wegotogether302647.html>
Maslow’s Hierarchy
Simons, Janet, Donald B. Irwin, and Beverly A. Drinnien. Psychology – The Search for Understanding. New York: West Publishing Company, 1987.
Simon, Paul and Art Garfunkel. “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” LyricsFreak. 24 February 2009. LyricsFreak.net. <http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/simon+and+garfunkel/bridge+over+troubled+water_20124580.html>

Calculate the price
Make an order in advance and get the best price
Pages (550 words)
$0.00
*Price with a welcome 15% discount applied.
Pro tip: If you want to save more money and pay the lowest price, you need to set a more extended deadline.
We know how difficult it is to be a student these days. That's why our prices are one of the most affordable on the market, and there are no hidden fees.

Instead, we offer bonuses, discounts, and free services to make your experience outstanding.
How it works
Receive a 100% original paper that will pass Turnitin from a top essay writing service
step 1
Upload your instructions
Fill out the order form and provide paper details. You can even attach screenshots or add additional instructions later. If something is not clear or missing, the writer will contact you for clarification.
Pro service tips
How to get the most out of your experience with MyhomeworkGeeks
One writer throughout the entire course
If you like the writer, you can hire them again. Just copy & paste their ID on the order form ("Preferred Writer's ID" field). This way, your vocabulary will be uniform, and the writer will be aware of your needs.
The same paper from different writers
You can order essay or any other work from two different writers to choose the best one or give another version to a friend. This can be done through the add-on "Same paper from another writer."
Copy of sources used by the writer
Our college essay writers work with ScienceDirect and other databases. They can send you articles or materials used in PDF or through screenshots. Just tick the "Copy of sources" field on the order form.
Testimonials
See why 20k+ students have chosen us as their sole writing assistance provider
Check out the latest reviews and opinions submitted by real customers worldwide and make an informed decision.
Business and administrative studies
excellent job! got an A, thank you
Customer 452773, May 24th, 2023
Business and administrative studies
excellent, got a 100
Customer 452773, May 17th, 2023
Nursing
I just need some minor alterations. Thanks.
Customer 452547, February 10th, 2021
Business and administrative studies
excellent job
Customer 452773, March 12th, 2023
Human Resources Management (HRM)
excellent job
Customer 452773, June 25th, 2023
Criminal Justice
The paper was not accused of plagiarism and was written very well. I will let you know the grade once it is graded. Thank you
Customer 452671, April 26th, 2021
Business and administrative studies
Thank you for your hard work
Customer 452773, October 19th, 2023
BUSINESS LAW
excellent job made a 93
Customer 452773, March 22nd, 2023
Managerial Accounting & Legal Aspects of Business ACC/543
excellent work
Customer 452773, February 7th, 2024
Psychology
Thank you!
Customer 452545, February 6th, 2021
Leadership Studies
excellent job
Customer 452773, July 28th, 2023
10th grade English
very good
Customer 452773, March 26th, 2023
11,595
Customer reviews in total
96%
Current satisfaction rate
3 pages
Average paper length
37%
Customers referred by a friend
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp