I think both choices are tough when ending a relationship.
It can be very tough to try to stay friends with someone when one of you still has feelings, as every time you are together it is like you are re-opening the wound of the break-up.
At the same time, it is very hard to lose someone from your life completely, especially if the relationship was long and/or had a lot of meaning to each other.
At the end of the day, I think that it very much depends on the people involved and the specific relationship they have.
Thanks for the thought-provoking post! :)
Thanks for the input! The longer the relationship the harder it is for sure. My best friend and his ex-are broken up. But when I hang with them separately it seems weird, even though they both are with someone else. They still talk but don't seem happy. But it really must depend on how the realtionship was.