Independent TOEFL essay - TPO 3: Agree or disagree: It is more important to keep your old friends than it is to make new friends.

There is no doubt that social relationships play a decisive role in every individual's life. Everybody needs to recognize the people who they communicate with. This often brings up a controversial question. Which one is more important: keeping an old friend or making a new one? In this regard, some people are more inclined toward the opinion that it is worth keeping old friends whereas others hold exactly the opposite perspective, believing that making new friends is more important. From my point of view, old friends are the best ones since knowing people for a long time helps to recognize a real friend who is confidant and sincere. In the following paragraphs, I will elaborate on my perspectives.

One of the reasons that immediately comes to mind is that you can trust on your old friends. As they have already passed your reliability test, you can confide in your trustworthy old friends. You can reveal your secrets with no worries about relating your secrets to others. For example, a friend of mine is very talkative and doesn't pay attention to what she says. Since I know her for a long time as a person who relates whatever comes out of her mouth, I never share my secrets with her. That's why old relationships are very important in our lives, especially old friendships.

As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, a long relationship introduces the sincere friend. Everybody feels uneasy about a liar, insincere friend. When you encounter a problem and need help, you cannot count on such friends aiding you in solving your problem. Since those friends don't sympathize indeed, they cannot feel your emotions, thereby not being able to help you handle your issue, anxiety, stress and so forth. This clarifies the fact that old relationships are effective in the life because they help you know people.

Decisively, if one compares the advantages and disadvantages of old and new friendships, one soon realizes that keeping old friendships is more essential. Although new friends will be old ones some day, the time spent with a friend plays a decisive role in your relationships, especially in recognizing confidant and sincere people. Nowadays, people need more social relations with good friends because of the modern complexities of life. Technology assists with keeping in touch with friends as well, even if they are located on the other side of the world.