By Benjamin Ajuong Machiek Malek
In life, we grow up believing in the beauty of friendship. We share our secrets, dreams, and burdens with those we call “friends.” We trust them.
We cry with them. We laugh with them. But one day, a bitter truth hits you: not every friend is truly a friend. Some are poison hidden behind smiles. Some are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I came to realize this painful truth, and it broke my heart.
At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I thought those I called “my people” would always be there for me, encouraging me, lifting me up when I fall. But time exposed them. It showed me how some friends silently wish for your downfall. They smile when you’re around, but behind your back, they mock your efforts. They don’t clap when you win. Instead, they ask, “Why not me?”
There are people who come into your life just for a day, maybe for a season, and we make the mistake of calling them close friends. But a friend of a day is not a friend at all. That kind of person doesn’t care about your future, your progress, or your happiness. They only care about what they can get from you today. Once they see you growing, once they see the light on your path, they turn bitter. Their heart turns green with envy.
A true friend is supposed to walk with you through the storms, speak truth to you when you are wrong, and cheer for you when you rise. But the world today is filled with fake friendships. We now live in a time when some people pretend to support you, but deep inside, they are waiting for your failure. They don’t encourage your dreams. Instead, they laugh at them. They don’t pray for your success. Instead, they silently wish for your shame.
That realization hit me hard. It made me ask myself deep questions:
Where are the good friends?
Where are the best friends who stand like mountains in your hardest days?
Where are the better friends who tell you the truth even when it hurts?
Where are those who love without jealousy, who support without conditions?
The truth is, this lack of honest friendship is one of the reasons the world is the way it is today. People are now scared to trust. Betrayal has become too common. As a result, people begin to hide their dreams. They isolate themselves. They become bitter and cold because the very people they trusted were the ones who stabbed them in the back.
This condition has led the world into darkness—into a world of cheating, bribery, and discrimination. When people no longer trust their neighbors or their friends, they start finding shortcuts to life. They cheat to succeed. They bribe to be accepted. They discriminate because they believe no one will treat them fairly. And it all started because we lost true friendship.
When betrayal replaces loyalty, relationships break. When envy replaces love, society falls. When fake replaces real, then trust becomes an illusion.
It is now very hard to find someone who celebrates your success without feeling small. It’s rare to find someone who tells you to keep going, even when they are behind. We now live in a world where people want to see you rise—but not higher than them. They support you, but only until you shine brighter. Once you pass them, you become a threat, not a friend.
This is why many hearts are wounded. Many dreams are broken. Because instead of having people who water us with love, we have people who dry us with hate.
But should we stop trusting completely? No. We must learn to be wise. We must learn to test friendships with time. A real friend is not just known in happiness. They are revealed in times of struggle. They are the ones who don’t leave you when you have nothing. They speak up when others are silent. They protect you in your absence. They correct you in love. They don’t compete with you—they complete you.
So let us not be quick to call everyone a friend. Let us observe. Let us listen to actions, not just words. Not all that glitters is gold. And not all smiles are friendly. As we walk this journey of life, let us guard our hearts but not harden them. Let us remain open but not foolish.
And most of all, let us be the kind of friends we wish to have. In this broken world, full of betrayal and disappointment, may we choose to be loyal. May we choose to encourage, to love, to support. Because even if others are poison, you can be the antidote.
Thank for reading, “committed to truth, driven by love for my nation”