Barefoot Doctor's Bit: Are Fairweather Friends Better Than None?

Barefoot Doctor: "Fairweather friends are better in the general sense that company of any kind is usually more fulfilling than watching TV, but only if you view them in the same way as watching TV; for entertainment.

True friendship, on the other hand, requires time to develop during which you check out each other's sense of reciprocity, the inherent give and take of any relationship, to see whether it's balanced. Different people give and take in different ways and with different timing, which is why it takes a while to establish that balance.

However, you'll actually know whether someone is a true friend or simply fair-weather the first time you meet them, because you'll feel it in your belly. The trick is to be sensitive to whatever your belly's telling you and that requires breathing consciously and remaining mindful of your inner feelings while engaged in the clatter and clamour of the world."