In my personal experience, people have very different definitions for “friend” and “acquaintance”.

Having lived and worked in countries with military dictatorships, dangerous social, religious and political unrest,  I have what I called a “Third World” definition of a friend.   My definition of a friend is someone you can trust with your life and the lives of your friends and family.

This kind of friendship includes not doing things that can cause other people to be threatened or harmed to get to you, or who you may harm by revealing or even insinuating a confidence.  I have lived in places where people write out a “Statement of Conscience” – which represents what they believe and stand for that can be used to counter anything they may be coerced into saying through threats or torture. Continue reading →