Does anyone have even 1 friend anymore?

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   promisemposted 10 years ago

   People may claim they have friends, but I don't see it. Anytime I ask someone what they did last night or over the weekend, they give me a blank look. When pressed, they often say something about TV or the computer.
   
   When I was growing up, kids ran around the streets playing together. Adults gathered for New Years Eve, neighbor birthdays, etc.
   
   Now I go for a walk through my neighborhood, and the streets are dark and empty.
   
   I recently saw a study that the average person has one friend. That may be an exaggeration.

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      psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I look out my window in the summer and see kids running around and playing with each other.  Maybe you need to move to a nice diverse neighborhood with a lot of families in it.

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         promisemposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         We have lived in family neighborhoods ever since we started having kids. Yes, I see them now and then, but nowhere near what I experienced growing up. Maybe you got lucky.

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   paulburchettposted 10 years ago

   I think people are addicted to their smartphones, tablets,, video games, television, etc. The younger generation coming up have a hard time even carrying a conversation with someone because they are used to communicating with their phones or tablets. I guess my answer to your question is yes, most people do have one friend, it is their electronic device.

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      promisemposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, that's a good point. I've also noticed that dogs are replacing people as friends. More and more dogs used to live in the backyard, then they moved into homes, then they started getting clothes, and then they started going on vacations. Dogs may be man's best friend and in many cases his only friend.

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   Aime Fposted 10 years ago

   Haha, so bleak!
   
   I do have friends, though admittedly before I had my daughter I was more of a "stay at home and watch movies with my boyfriend" kind of girl. With a toddler it is really hard (or impossible) to stay in all the time, so anyone close by with kids around her age are sort of built-in friends.
   
   I do also have people who I communicate with only on the Internet who I consider to be friends! I mean, sure, we're not frolicking through tall grass at sunset together or anything, but they're people who brighten my day, make me laugh, make me think, and who I enjoy having conversations with. There's definitely something to be said for having face to face conversations with people and doing in-person activities, and I would never want to lose those. But I don't think it discounts the sincerity of some "long-distance" friendships.
   
   My best friend of over 15 years lives across the country now and I still consider her to be my best friend despite the fact that I'm lucky to see her in person once every couple of years. I also moved 1500km away from home when I was 18, so all of my close friendships from high school/childhood are mostly maintained through my iPhone as well.
   
   I definitely think some people become consumed with technology and let their personal relationships suffer because of it. But I also think it's possible to have friendships that occur within and because of technology.
   
   Every summer our neighbors gather in the street and put out sprinklers for the kids. I get invited to or host parties for every holiday/event/special occasion imagineable. People have parties for no other reason than it's a nice day out and they feel like having a BBQ. I go to friends' houses for dinners just because I haven't seen them in a month and we miss each other. Friendship is alive and well over here!
   
   Oh, and my dogs sleep in my bed and are like my furry, smelly children. They are my family and most definitely my friends.

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      promisemposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, I thought it was bleak too when I wrote it. I actually took out the really bleak stuff. 
      
      Some people are blessed with the ability to find and keep friends. I have siblings that have that gift, but alas, I do not. I know a lot of other people who feel the same way. They admit to being lonely.
      
      My two dogs wait till we fall alseep and then jump on bed, because otherwise we wouldn't let them. If they could only learn how to talk.

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