Gandhi once said “Be the change you want to see in the world” Be the friend that you would like to have. Everyone has a different opinion on what makes someone the ideal friend. I don’t have high expectations of an ideal friend. I try to be the friend I want to have. The ideal friend is not someone who is judgmental or disrespectful towards you. Rather, the ideal friend is someone who is loyal, respectful, caring, and understanding.

A friend is not someone who is judgmental. Amir, a character from the book The Kite Runner, is an example of someone who is not an ideal friend. Amir was judgmental toward Hassan and his ethnicity because he is a Hazara. Amir would act differently with other friends when Hassan was around. He would ignore Hassan and treat him unfairly. Hazara’s are known for being servants in Afghanistan and Hassan and his father worked for Amir and his father Baba. Amir didn’t consider Hassan as a friend even though they grew up together, yet they would play together privately. I can relate to Hassan’s problem with Amir. I once had a friend with double personality. She was friendly to be in private, but when her other friends were around, she treated me inadequately. She was not the ideal friend to me just how Amir was not the ideal friend to Hassan.

The ideal friend is always loyal. Hassan, a character from The Kite Runner, was always honest and loyal to everyone. When Amir framed Hassan to try and get rid of him, Hassan lied and said he did it. He knew that if he told the truth, Baba would know Amir framed him. Hassan knew if this happened, Baba would no longer be proud of Amir. That shows how loyal of a friend Hassan is to Amir and how he cares about Amir’s happiness. My best friend is a perfect example of an ideal friend. She is the only person I can count on to always be there for me. My best friend inspires me to live up to my best potential and reach my goung
als. Whenever I doubt myself she always believes in me and she always has.

What you seek for in a friend should consist of the following: honest, caring, humble, a good influence, understanding, and trusting. I would like to see in my relationships that we are both the ideal friend to each other. Although Amir was definitely not the ideal friend, he changed for the better overtime throughout the book. He was never able to redeem himself and be a better friend to Hassan, but he was able to do him a favor and take in Hassan’s son and be the ideal friend and guardian to him. Considering how much Amir matured and changed, I’d say he is the ideal friend. I’ve learned from The Kite Runner that there is a way to be good again and change as a person overall.