Still Standing

Have you ever thought about how many people have come and gone in your life? If you think about it, there are hundreds of folks we have met. Most have been acquaintances, but some managed to breech security and become a significant part of our lives. Of those who made the leap from acquaintance to friend, how many are you still in contact with? How many are still friends?

I've been thinking that the problem is not so much that we don't know people; the problem is that we don't know people well enough. Our culture encourages us to stay on the surface and never venture into deeper waters. Since our friendships tend to be more superficial, it takes little to interrupt them. A gust of neglect or a forceful bout of gossip is more than enough to propel us away from one and towards another. Repeat cycle. Remain lonely.

Quality is better than quantity. In genuine friendship, deep is better than shallow and permanent is better than temporary. The quality of our relationships is revealed in the amount of stress and pressure they can withstand. Only true authenticity provides the helpful resistance that makes our connections stronger.