TFF True Friends Forever Childhood Friend vs. Nebridius...

C.S. Lewis once wrote, â€Å"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival† (brainyquote.com). While philosophy and friendship may both be unnecessary, they are both valuable to the human experience. In the course of philosophical thinking, many philosophers, including Augustine, grapple with the concept and fulfillment of true friendship. Augustine writes of the meaning of true friendship in The Confessions, while also writing of his friendships throughout his life, using his own guidelines of what true friendship entails a revolution of his friendships can be seen alongside his transformation toward God that The Confessions is well known to†¦show more content†¦He is thinking of life in terms of pleasure and vanity. Augustine wants knowledge and new ideas, which is what draws him to astrology, for it is something new and exciting, and as a young man, he himself is ne w to and excited to be in a world open to him. When the reader meets the childhood friend, Augustine talks of the friendship as â€Å"sweeter to me than any sweetness I had known in all my life† (The Confessions, Book IV, paragraph 7). Augustine places all goodness in his friend and relies on him fully for his happiness. In describing their friendship, Augustine does say that they have common interests and a â€Å"similarity of outlook [which] lent warmth to our relationship† (The Confessions, Book IV, paragraph 7). The two young men had grown up in the same place, at the same time, with each other, but grew close only at this time in their lives. In saying that they had a ‘similarity of outlook,’ Augustine means they have the same perspective on life; they are both young and feel they have the world at their fingertips. Similarly, they have each other to look to for models on how to life, and do so in a way that begets improper friendship. Their relationship can be compared to many of those of young people who find friends and get lost in the group, forging together their opinions and goals for the ‘gang,’ if you will. Augustine writes, â€Å"For I had lured him from the true faith, which he had held in