Of Friends and Acquaintances

I catched an episode of the TV series “Friends” last night and while watching, memories of people I call ‘friends’ came rushing in. Then an interesting thought came. Are some of them really my friends? Or are they just people I had a ‘relationship’ with, be it working or social. Weren’t they just acquaintances?

I realized that just because I interacted with several people closely before does not necessarily make them my friends, or me to them. It must have been just a ‘social relationship’ that we had, brought about by the circumstance. As we saw each other often, it might have appeared as ‘friendship’. But later on, when we parted, there’s really no extraordinary bond that will make us long for each other’s company or support, even across miles. They are my acquaintances.

There are people that I know and have not seen for years. In spite of the time and distance, I have no doubt that we have that special ‘connection’ that will forever be there. They are my true friends.

There are also the people I call buddies. These are the guys I share many ideals and interests with. I don’t see them often also but I will support and help them without hesitation if they ask me to. They are my best friends.

I have met thousands of people in my thirty nine years of existence. I can no longer remember ninety-eight percent of them. I would say they are my acquaintances. Of the remaining two percent whom I remember, only few are my real friends, and fewer are my best friends.

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