I am going to talk about the top three reasons I believe are important on what makes you a real friend. These three reasons are: always stay friends no matter the choices they make in life, tell the truth, and always be there.
The first example on what I believe is an important part of being a real friend is to always stay friends no matter what types of life choices they make. Some people think that just because someone is starting to go down the wrong path, they should just give up on them and stop being their friend. This is absolutely not the decision you should make. When someone starts going down a path that you don't approve of there are two ways to handle the situation. The first way is to either help them and guide them to go in the right direction, and the second way is to just be there for them and support whatever they are doing.
Either way, you should never stop being a friend to someone just because you don't approve of what they are doing with their life. It's your friend's life so they should be able to make all of the decisions with what goes on, but you should just be there. That is one important quality that makes a real friend. Someone who doesn't drop you because they don't approve what you're doing with your life.
The second example is to always tell the truth. Being a true friend means that you never lie to your friend even if you know it might hurt them. It is always important to be truthful. Your opinion matters and whether your friend wants to hear it or not, they know it does too. If you tell them the truth they may get mad at first, but, in the end, they'll thank you because you either saved them from doing something really embarrassing, or you helped them get over something they thought was the best for them. It's always best to just be honest because they'll get over it faster than they would knowing you lied about something they really needed your honest opinion about.
The third example is to always be there for them. The worst thing you can do is to not be there for someone when they need you. Sometimes friends make other friends, which is okay, but it doesn't mean that you should stop being there for your other friends. Your old friends are just as important as your new ones. Whenever a friend is in need you should be there for them because you just being there in general for them can just help resolve the situation. Sometimes just hanging out and just being there for someone is all a friend really needs.
Being a real friend is really important these days. It's hard to open up and trust people easily so once you find that friend that you truly can be yourself around, never let them go.