Society and Friendship vs. Romance…

There are a ton of writings by ancient people about friendship, and its importance. People seem to have forgotten its importance these days.

Don’t believe me? Aristotle and Epicurus both said that friendship is the most blessed thing and essential for a happy, ideal life. And I’m sure that there are more out there.

No one seems to agree with this anymore, everyone is so set on romantic relationships that they forget about friendship and how important it is to everyone!

The reality about romantic relationships is they either end or you get married. That’s it. No one really accepts this (which is a totally different problem) but it’s also not the case with friendships. Friendships can last forever, assuming it’s the right kind of friendship (which is also a topic for another day).

Part of this is the huge emphasis in society on romantic relationships. Think about the numerous times where there’s an ad for a couple, or for someone trying to impress a significant other. (And of those, how many are men trying to impress women and objectifying them into cold beings that you have to impress?) How often when you see a relative do they first ask “do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?” We are constantly bombarded by this idea! People keep shoving the message “romance, sex, dating, do iiittttt” into our heads constantly!

There are so many problems with this! First of all, it’s freaking annoying. Second of all, if you have no plans of getting into a relationship soon, you’re pressured into it. Please leave me alone and let me do my thing! The constant stream of this idea makes it seem as though it’s normal for people to be in a relationship constantly, or looking for one.

Plot twist: it’s fine if you’re single. It’s fine if you want to stay that way. You don’t need to do anything you don’t want. And you need to remember that as you carry on.

And friendship is important! Aristotle made distinctions between the different kinds of friendships, but I think that while that’s interesting and everything, it’s not really necessary. Friends are people that you enjoy being with, regardless of the reason, and just because of that it’s good to have them. They get you through all the tough times, and celebrate the goods ones with you. Without friends, we would all be alone in this world, partying and crying by ourselves. Good friends last forever, even if you haven’t seen them in a while you always know that they support you and have your back.

It’s wayyy more important to have good friends (whether it’s one or ten) than it is to be in a romantic relationship. And the best relationships start out as friends!

As Cole Porter said: “When all other friendships have been forgot, ours will still be hot!” (the most cheesy of cheesy…)