Is Making Friends Harder, or Keeping Them?

The book "A Wet Dead Mouse" follows several students as they try to find a friend for a classmate. Drawing on the wisdom of Nahj al-Balagha, it asks whether finding a friend is easier or protecting one is.

According to Mehr reporter, the book "Wet Dead Mouse" written by Zahra Shahi and published in Mehrestan Publishing House is the second volume of the three-volume series "Mosquito Band Music Group". A humorous and adventurous story about three students who decide to find a friend for their classmate this time.

The story begins when Arad, a classmate of the mosquito net group, comes to them and says that no one is willing to be friends with him. Parham, Shayan and Hadi have a burning heart for Erad and first decide to add him to their group; But soon they realize that neither Erad's name fits with the composition of the band, nor does his quiet voice fit with the music band.

Instead of giving up, the kids make a new decision: starting a dating group. A group that is supposed to introduce people who don't like or can't make friends to each other.

As usual, the name of this group is not chosen easily, and finally they choose the title of "Helping Group and First Aid"; The group whose name is abbreviated as "Blizzard" to be more mysterious can deal with its own operations.

To get started, members of the blizzard group design a form and go to the students to see who is looking for a friend. If a suitable person is found, they are supposed to introduce him to Erad; But the problem is that no one shows interest in being friends with Erad.

The children, who do not want their mission to fail, design new plans one by one. The first option is Ilya; A boy who is very fond of food. The mosquito net group decides to take advantage of this interest and persuade Ilya to be friends with Erad in exchange for food.

A friendship is formed, but soon new problems show themselves. Arad constantly talks about his family, trips and facilities and even asks Ilya to do some of his work. These behaviors make Ilya unable to continue this friendship.

In order not to fail, Kulak group makes another plan. This time they decide to find a friend for Erad by stimulating the feeling of compassion. They tell Ertin that Arad's mother is sick and he needs someone to be with him.

Ertin, whose grandfather is struggling with cancer, feels that he can understand Erad's situation and befriends him. But this time too, the friendship did not last. Erad's behavior and pride make Ertin unable to continue his friendship.

In the meantime, the mosquito net group even resorted to lies to form these friendships, and now they themselves face the consequences of their decisions.

Friendship cannot be ordered for anyone

After several plans fail, the group members come to the conclusion that they cannot find a friend for Erad. The problem is not just not having a friend; Arad himself must change his behavior and dealings with others.

Parham, who is upset with Erad's creditor behavior and his expectations from the group, is no longer willing to look for a friend for him. Eventually, the blizzard group decides to stop their mission about Erad and go to other students who really need help finding friends.

In this way, the mosquito net group continues its work; This time, not by trying to change Arad's will, but by finding people who can be good friends for each other.

A story about dating skills

One of the main axes of "Dead Wet Mouse" is the issue of making friends and maintaining friendships; In the story, it starts with a simple request, but it slowly shows that having a friend is not limited to finding someone to accompany.

In a part of the book, this topic is connected with one of the wisdoms of Nahj al-Balagha; Being able to make friends is a skill in itself, and more importantly, keeping the friends we make in life. In this view, a friendship relationship is not something that is formed simply by two people being together; Behaviour, conversation, attention to others and the way of dealing with a friend also play a role in making it last.

This point becomes important in the story of Arad. The members of the mosquito net group think that his problem is just that he doesn't have a friend, and if they find the right person, the problem will be solved. That's why they try to introduce him to other students several times; Even for this, they go to methods that sometimes have results contrary to their expectations.

But every time a friendship is formed, willful behavior causes the relationship not to continue. He expects his friend to do his work, talks a lot about himself and his family's facilities, and sometimes has a demanding attitude when dealing with others. During these experiences, the mosquito net group realizes that you cannot force someone to be a friend; If the person himself cannot establish a mutual and healthy relationship, just finding a friend will not solve the problem.

Here, the wisdom of Nahj al-Balagha goes beyond a moral advice and becomes an issue in the daily life of the characters in the story. At first, Parham and his friends only think about the first part of the story; To make friends for Erad, but then they face the more important part of it: that every person should have the ability to maintain friendship and treat their friends well.

In this way, "Dead Wet Mouse" takes the concept of friendship beyond a simple relationship between a few students and turns it into a learnable skill; A skill that is meaningful both in choosing and finding a friend and in the behavior that makes a friendship continue.

The book "Wet Dead Mouse" is the second volume of the "Peshehband Music Group" series written by Zahra Shahi in 92 pages and published by Mehrestan Publishing House.