I asked my young friend, what do today’s youth need. After a few blinks, she replied, “I guess we need to be strong. We are too weak. If we take one something, and have a few failures, we just give up."

Thats smart, I thought. Attempting to be a little smart myself, I asked her “What do you think will make the youth stronger?" To that, pat came her answer, “having a true friend in our life".

I wondered, what is a true friend? And why is it that having one makes me feel stronger? As I thought about it, I realised that every one of us has a need to be ‘understood’. When someone who I look up to and love, ‘gets’ me, it makes me feel strong. In some strange way it makes me I can handle whatever life throws at me. I don’t need them to say anything. I don’t need them to do anything. I certainly don’t need them to offer any advice or help. I just need them to understand me. They may not even agree with me. Just understanding seems to have the power to empower.

Have you ever felt understood by someone, and that made you feel strong?