The Importance of Friendship
Photo by Marcus Wallis on Unsplash I heard on the radio today the idea that we as a society have downplayed the importance as well as the role of friendship. The commentator went on to argue that what we have done is relegate all intimacy to only one kind of relationship, namely a romantic one. Having done so we have cut ourselves off from a major aspect of life and one that is of critical importance to our health and our development; physically, mentally, and spiritually. I’ve had some time to reflect on this and I cannot help but agree. We as people have slowly grown further and further apart or at least it seems to be that way. Nearly everyone I’ve talked to agrees that these days it would be practically unthinkable to strike up a conversation with a stranger in the checkout line or in a park or on a bus. We have been trained to not ‘bother’ anyone else and that any intrusion into our day by someone we do not already know is unwanted, disrespectful, and weird.