a wise ol' quote from Albus Dumbledore:

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."

For some weird and random reason, I had a flash back to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and I remember Dumbledore addressing this quote to all the students of Hogwarts whilst in the Great Hall. Now that I really give this quote some thought, it's absolutely true.

It's WAY harder to stand up to your friends rather your enemies. It's easy to argue and to say what's on your mind to somebody you dislike- you'll have no fear to express how you feel and have the courage to tell them that they're committing wrong-doings. It's simple because you're not supposed to LIKE your enemies...otherwise, they'd be your friends. But when a situation arises when you have to stand up to a good friend, it proves to be more challenging. You're going against someone that you consider a comerade, someone who'll think that you're okay with their beliefs or actions because you're a friend, and of COURSE you'd agree with them about EVERYTHING. Well, that's not the case.

People will have the fear to stick up for themselves and others when it comes to opposing the negative thoughts and actions of friends. They're afraid that their friends will mock them, tell them that they're stupid or wrong, or will become angry at them for thinking differently. They'll turn against you if you take a stand against them. Even if you KNOW you're doing the right thing, they won't care. They'll just be angry that you "betrayed them" and will think you're not being a friend for not "thinking they way they do or agreeing with them".

We are all not the same. We all have different minds, different thought processes. Even though we have similarities, we all take a situation or an object and see it through our OWN eyes-- we have a diffrent point of view, and we all have our opinions. Just because we have friends and share the same interests, doesn't mean that we all have the same beliefs or have to think the way they do.

So when a situation arises where you see a friend doing wrong or saying something inappropriate or false about an issue or about a person, be brave and tell them straight up how you feel. Lead them in the right direction, don't let them get away with committing wrong-doings. Take action and stand up to them. It may be difficult, but it'll be worth it in the end, both for you and your friend.