Today, I lost another friend.

No, they did not die.

And no – I did not abandon them in the middle of a shopping mall.

But you guys know what I am talking about:

We’ve all had a handful of friends who we thought would stick around. They’re people you have confided in, trusted, and would give your right arm for … in some cases, almost died for. Somehow along the way, something happens whether it be an act of betrayal or just the clashing of polarizing opinions. And before you know it, they’re gone.

So I lost a friend today because I guess I valued friendship more on this end than the other. I do feel betrayed because friends don’t say things like that to friends. You think you know someone until they go overboard and show their true character. And then they vanish because they couldn’t deal with the consequences of their actions.

Don’t go there. You don’t want to be an enemy.

Is it natural?

Is it normal for friendships to fall through so easily? I wonder if we’re just supposed to meet new people and replace the old ones. But how many opportunities do we get?

I think I’m surrounded by users.

It seems that nowadays, people only call you when they need something. We, as a society, have fallen into the trend of asking people how they’re doing without ever really wondering. It just slides off the tongue because it’s more like a greeting. In the end, “Hi, how are you?” sounds so much better than, “Hi.” We’re surrounded by apathy in the guise of empathy. We give out sympathy because social etiquette tells us it’s proper to do so.

But do we really care?

On my failure

It’s hard to realize that I am not the only person dealing with this. I used to think I was alone and that it was due to my lack of ability to make friendships, manage them, and nurture them as most people appear to. Through time, I found that I was wrong – not everything is going to be like it was in high school. People change. People become assholes and people can become bitches.

I used to think it was my fault but after talking with many people in my life, they’re doing the same thing I’m doing. Here and there, you’ll get an invitation to a social outing but most nights, we’re alone and we’re wondering if other people wonder, too.