Friendship in Modern Times

Humans are social beings, we need to establish contact with other people. All this is based on knowing ourselves, who we are, our beliefs, our values, what we like to do/eat/go, what ideas we have about something, etc...

Suddenly, out of many strangers, we find one or two, or a group of people with whom we have a lot in common. As time goes by, we come across more individuals who are very similar to us, and together we create a synergy that helps us grow and develop. We may have different skills, strengths, knowledge, and experience, but when we share with these people, they become our friends. Friends are those whom we share our deepest thoughts with, who support us through thick and thin, who keep us in check, who share our joys and sorrows, and who become an integral part of our lives. We often assume our friends will always be there for us unless one of them betrays our trust.

I have always believed in the concept of reciprocity in relationships. The value I give will be the same value I receive in return. I also firmly believe that true friendship knows no boundaries or expiration date. Whatever the circumstances or experiences, a friend should always be there for you. So, I wonder, what happened to the slogan of the Three Musketeers, "One for all and all for one"? When did friendship become superficial, conditional, or influenced by third parties that override loyalty, trust, sharing, and affection? It seems ironic that technology, money, and communication transcend time and distance, but love and friendship do not.

My oldest friends ended our friendship because I moved away from the country. Once she called me and said: "I will never forget your birthday or our trip to France". Then, she disappeared with the rest of the group of friends we used to have. So, you understand the little value or appreciation they had to simply think: "What's the point of keeping her as a friend if she's not here? However, you think: "Don´t worry, better people will come, real friends will come".

And so it was. I started to meet new people, some of them different from me, while others were quite similar. Some of them lasted for a short period, while others remained friends for a longer time. However, there were also betrayals. Some of my new friends stopped being friends with me because we were not in sync with each other. I had thought that these new friends were going to be better than the previous ones, but it turned out that some of them only wanted some particular interests or "favors" from me, while others simply cut off contact little by little without any explanation. They stopped telling me their stuff and stopped inviting me to their meetings, and in the end, I found out that they did it because I don't have a boyfriend. They decided to exclude me from their "club" simply because I don't have what they have now. Once again, I faced a friendship that was conditioned by third parties.

These days, liken friendships to mobile apps; we delete or download them depending on how useful they are to us. The same goes for people who tend to move on to new friends either because they want to try something new, or because their interests have changed. If we don't make an effort to renew our friendships, we might end up feeling alone. I have gone from having a lot of friends to having almost no one to talk to. I have come to realize that qualities like trust, loyalty, and sincerity are often undervalued by many people. As a result, I now often go to cinemas, concerts, and museums alone. I also travel and visit different places on my own. And why not get a boyfriend? That's another issue, more difficult than finding real friends.