BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Self Development The Value of Friends

Can we make true friends on the internet?

I believe we can--I know quite a few people who have found new friends online based on shared interests and later moved on to gatherings in person as often as they can manage. That's not to say people don't change, though--their interests shift, and connections can fade as a result. I don't think that means the friendship isn't totally valid. There's a book I read years ago titled Brief Encounters that speaks to this dynamic and more or less says to enjoy relationships with others as long as they last, but don't dismiss the relationship just because it didn't turn out to be a "permanent" One. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks.

I have many friends socially...but for true and real friends, I can count them using my fingers. I don't think it's necessary to have a whole bunch of friends if they don't value your worth at all. Friendship is a two way street. That's what I learned.

I have valued friends eversince I can remember; that each time I meet people, I easily find my crowd. But, there are those friends I consider that don't see me as how I see and treat them, unfortunately.

I've learned a valuable lesson just recently. You can build a friendship with the people you want to become friends with, but if they desire to leave you; you just can't hold them back. How can I consider myself a true friend if I build walls with them? It does hurt to know that you aren't just as valuable as you thought. But as time moves along, there's a whole space for real friends. You'd know, because they'd come without you calling them, sit with you and spend the afternoon away.

Ah Friendship.

I recently got married, and through this I learned who were my TRUE friends and who were just acquaintences. The one who was SUPPOSED to be my maid of honor, isn't even a part of my life anymore.

It's amazing - I find how as you grow up, start dating, finish highschool, move around, and once you and your friends start getting married you realize what friendship really is. When I was in school I had sooo many friends.. so I thought <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Honestly right now I have maybe 2 that are absolutely wonderful. We can talk about anything, we have fun, and we really value eachother. (and one of those 2 is my husband <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And the rest of them who are in my life, yes I consider them friends, but really they are acquaintences. I know it's not really how many friends you have, it's the quality of the friendship that matters, but I sometimes do feel that I don't have enough friends (true friends).

When I graduated highschool, I slowly started losing friends, and I felt really down about that. But it was only recently that I realized I didn't really LOSE friends... I'm just different than I was 4 years ago. I need to surround myself with people who are in the same stage of life as I am in. It's not so much of a social life for me anymore. I need to meet people who are like me. People who share the same interests as me. But where do I meet these people? That's another issue, and I was wondering if it's just me, or if this happens to other people too? Now that I'm not in school, I have a hard time making new friends. I find that I don't know what to talk about. At work, we talk about work. I don't know how to turn it into something more personal. I am fairly shy at first, but I can really open up after getting past that initial introduction. Maybe it's just the type of people I work with? Maybe we just don't have anything in common? I don't know how to make new friends. What do you all think?

I think friendships grow in all sorts of unexpected ways. One of my closest friends is someone I worked with for 11 years. Our friendship grew as we dealt with personal crises (I went through a difficult divorce, her husband got cancer and later died from it, I remarried, she got breast cancer and survived it) and ended up supporting each other. A bond formed. We share a similar sense of humor, and if there's one thing that unites people it's laughter <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And even though we no longer work together, we meet for lunch frequently.

Another good friend is a woman I met through a local writers guild. So our friendship started because of our common interest in writing, but it grew to include movies and other things we discovered we had in common.

One of my best and closest friends is my own sister, who's on her way here from Louisiana right now because our dad is having open-heart surgery Thursday (which is why I haven't been around much these past couple of weeks). Even though the occasion is a worrisome one, I can't wait to see her.

And then there's my daughter, who is a person I both like and admire as a friend, even if she IS my own child whom I also love deeply. She's on her way here, too.

The way to make friends is to be interested in people--that's how you find out what interests them, and that opens the door for them to be interested in you as well. Invite someone to lunch at work. I also read once that a good way to make friends is to ask the person to do a small favor for you.

Wow, that's great! Thanks so much!

I love that... just be interested in people! Fabulous <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> have a great day

I have always told my daughter to have a friend you have to be a friend. I believe that.

Beautiful thoughts.

I did have that one online friend who I've never met in person, but for many years we pretty much only talked on the phone. We often said that it felt like one of us had moved away and we'd been friends forever. Sadly, that friendship has ended and I'm not being told why or if there is any way to fix it. I am sad about that.
I don't really have any close friends anymore. My closest and best friend is my bf.
I do have this girl that I have known since elementary school and were great friends until I went to high school. We lost touch for about 7 years and then I found her address online and we've been in touch off and on for the past 4 years. She is someone I admire and she is a great inspiration to me. I suppose that's why I always try to keep in touch with her even though she is awfully bad at keeping in touch, lol. We go through our spurts of communication and lack of.