"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" So asks the Bible in Amos chapter 3, verse 3; and I wonder if some people understand and if some man really a pree. Yeah, so how aligned and connected are you, to your 'sparring p'? Or, even when you think and feel that the person moving closest to you is moving on the same wavelength with you, and fully loves and supports you and the things you do, how can you be really sure? After all, as Horace Andy famously sang, "you see a man's face but you don't see his heart".

I hope you're checking the levels! So you may have many people around you, who are always near and cheering; always willing and raring to publicly laugh with you; but eh, if you fall down bad, dem same one secretly snicker, mek snide remarks, and laugh at you. And if unforeseen sorrow tek you, dem suddenly too busy to be around to support, commiserate and mourn with you. But guess what! No matter how exceptional a person's acting ability, it's hard to fully and consistently fake friendship. Fake friendships have a way of exposing themselves accidentally. And real friendship has a way of just reinforcing itself in simple and beautiful ways.

So answer this question. Who are your friends? And when I say friends I mean your real friends, not just some 'Facebook' friends, who show friendship pon dem face but don't perform it by the book. Think about it. I remember once watching Oprah Winfrey talking about friendship on one of her show, and she said, in a quote from Maya Angelou, that 'only equals can truly be friends'. And I don't think she was talking about equality in terms of wealth and social class so much as she was talking about people whose relationships are characterised by equal giving and receiving of love, support and respect.

love and respect

There are some people who love you, or think they love you, (or pretend to love you) because they think you're close to power and fame. And there are some people who only rate you if you have plenty money, or nuff letters behind your name. And then, you have the people who whether you're revelling in glory or grovelling in shame, their love and respect for you is constant and solid just the same.

As he negotiated the impact of peer pressure and tried to resist the 'follow-friend' mentality as a young boy growing up in Trench Town, the late Beryl Mattison used to always tell her young son Ian 'Ity' Ellis, "If yu really want to know who is yu friend, just act like yu dead and see what happen." Sometime, we don't need to go to prophet or consult priest. Just listen to our parents and ancestors.

Listen nuh, I feel like preaching. (Al Miller voice): Beloved people! Heed the words of the prophet Blakka, and open your hearts! Turn to your friend; look him or her in the eye and ask dem why! Why are you my friend? And declare to dem the new gospel according to dancehall, the words of the writer Khago in the book of 'Nah Sell Out' part 2 verse 1, and I quote: "Nah sell out mi friend dem, wanda if dem say di same. Or if dem a pree mi true the world say mi name; or if dem stick around only just fi defend, mi friends mi a ask unno, if mi can trust unno..."

Somebody say amen!

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