How to make friends in the modern age
These days, friendship doesn't require the weight of the paths you've taken together or the pain you've been through together.
The friends we hold in our hands, who are there for us when things go wrong, and with whom we laugh and cry are slowly being replaced by virtual friends. These are people we meet online for specific reasons without leaving our keyboards or screens.
Today is World Friendship Day, and I'd like to talk about how new media has changed what it means to be friends. Yesterday, ideals like dedication, loyalty, giving up, and sacrifice were important to define what a friend was.
It only takes a click to end an internet friendship today, just like it does to start one with someone.
Loneliness is a big problem today. People have a hard time with loneliness and social isolation. When we don't bond with other people in a deep way, our bodies and souls die. A new study found that being turned down by people can hurt as much as breaking a bone.
Being connected to other people helps us see past our own selfish and base wants and think about what's best for society as a whole.
The number of social ties we have makes us healthier and happier, and it also makes the people we meet better. We need each other as people.
We look for a safe place to put our souls, a place where we can feel safe and not have to worry about anything. It's hard to get over existential loneliness through relationships because the social world is getting weaker.
When you're socially isolated, you feel unsafe, which makes you feel even more alone. Loneliness is a painful hole in the middle of life.
These days, friendship doesn't mean carrying the weight of the paths you've taken together or the pain you've been through together. People today are lonely, so they look for friends who will heal their wounds and listen to them with open ears.
But we don't all agree that this is based on mutual effort and kindness. The friend who doesn't want anything from me is pretty much the best friend.
For two people to become close, they have to be able to share some personal information with each other. As time goes on, you get to know the other person better and trust them enough to tell them your thoughts, feelings, and fears without fear of being rejected or blamed.
Most of the time, the concept of reciprocity helps us get to this level of closeness. I'll tell you something about myself if you tell me something about yourself. Because of this, the two people share more and more with each other over time.
This dance of exposure is still very delicate and full of problems that could happen. For instance, if you tell someone how you really feel too soon or in the wrong setting, that person might think you are unstable.