Chapter 19: On Friendship ~ Gibran’s The Prophet with Journaling Prompts
And a youth said, Speak to us of
Friendship.
And he answered, saying:
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love
and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger,
and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you
fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor
do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases
not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all
thoughts, all desires, all expectations
are born and shared, with joy that is
unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you
grieve not;
For that which you love most in him
may be clearer in his absence, as the
mountain to the climber is clearer
from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening
of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the
disclosure of its own mystery is not
love but a net cast forth: and only the
unprofitable is caught.
*****
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide,
let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should
seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not
your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter, and sharing of
pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning and is
refreshed.
***** *****
~ Chapter 19 “On Friendship” from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Spirit Nourished Earth created the image in this post in collaboration with DALL·E 3
Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection
True Companionship
Gibran suggests that in true friendship, silence speaks as loudly as words. How do you experience the presence of a friend even when you are not talking to them?
The Beauty of Absence
Gibran reflects on the clarity of a friend’s presence being more apparent in their absence. How do you honour the space and absence of loved ones, finding deeper appreciation in their absence?
Unspoken Understanding
In friendship, Gibran emphasizes that all thoughts, desires, and expectations are shared without words. How do you cultivate unspoken understanding and connection with those you love?
The Gift of Friendship
Gibran advises that true friendship is about deepening the spirit, not fulfilling personal needs or filling emptiness. How do you approach friendship to deepen both your spirit and that of your friend, rather than seeking fulfillment of personal desires?
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