^{Periods of solitude can be very helpful and worthwhile, but so too is contact with friends. This is especially true of friendships that are based on loving-kindness (metta), mutual support and understanding. The activities of the Wellington Buddhist Centre and its culture provide many opportunities for people to get to know other Buddhists and develop personal friendships with them. Of course this does not happen automatically. There is an old saying: “if you want to have a friend you need to be a friend”. Learning to be a truer a better friend is a form of spiritual practice. It involves many things: knowing yourself more deeply and being able to communicate more clearly and openly. It means bringing forth all sorts of positive qualities such as generosity, courage and forgiveness. It takes time for an initial flowering to develop, so patience and consistency are also important. Learning to be a good friend and interacting creatively with your friends is not just a means to an end. It is not just a discipline to help you get through life or to help you make spiritual progress. The enjoyment of friendship, like the enjoyment of nature and art, is an end in itself. The best moments of friendship are the high watermarks of life. They do not need to be justified in terms of some other goal or value.}