We All Grow Up Eventually

I get it. The years fly away, we look at ourselves and think about all the lost chances we've seen pass us by. It's not like we grow younger, so why not live our lives, by ourselves, without having to think about anyone else. In some ways, it makes sense. After all, we only have ourselves to trust in the end, because like it or not, humans are an egocentric species. Our first and foremost thought are "How can this help me", or "How can I profit from this situation". It is rare indeed to find anyone who does not think along these paths, especially in today's society where one's own survival is hanging solely on a thread made by ourselves. No education? Smaller thread. No Job? Even smaller thread... And so on. If we don't build our own bridges to cross, we'll eventually stay behind everyone else, with no one looking back to see if you're still there.

Parents love their children, no doubt about. They want them to be self-sufficient and strong, so from early on we're told that we have to pave our way in life, and learn to make a living. Then, when the kid is old enough, the parents focus their thoughts once more on themselves, and how they've longed for a little alone-time, and hasten the unhatched egg out of the nest. We're growing colder, more egoistic and more isolated as the years go by.

I haven't lived for that long, but I can imagine that those who have, can understand my point of view. Not only do we (inevitably) loose our parents in the end, but along the way we loose our friends, because, if not a tool for one's own succession, they're only a burden along the way to be dropped at one's own convenience, at least that's what our society is building towards. I've stayed en-route for long enough to know this as a fact; friendships aren't what they used to be. If you're not born together, grown up together, and share the exact hobbies and/or musical taste, the blatant connection withers and disappears before you get to bat your eyelids.

Why?

What are we, if not a reflection of the friends we carry along. What are we, if not the sum of all our parts. Humanity didn't get to where we are now because we left people behind, we got here because family and friends mattered. We used to swear blood-oaths if someone hurt family or friends, we used to slay entire worlds and cultures for the sake of what we loved and held dear. Today, our mindset is telling us that they are probably best off fighting their own wars. I'm not going to fall for it. If it's the last thing I do in this world, it will be to stick by the few friends I have left, and let them know that whatever happens, I'll stand right here. I'm not ready to break any more bonds... Because without them, life isn't really that great.

The world has become an open playground, with distances mattering less and less; or so they say. One forgets that if we part from what we love, and do not nurture the bonds that connect us, they are prone to go away. We're only human, so we forget about the friends we used to have. We forget, that once we had a best friend, but because one of the parts moved away, it became an obsolete memory. Once we enter new surroundings, we adapt, and change. The old is boring, new is cool. All the names that flutter behind my eyelids as I write this, reminds me that I wasn't always alone, but what does it matter now? They're not here.

I nourish poor connections, with superficial conversation and Facebook, as a tool to give the impression that I still remember, that I still care. Who am I kidding, I don't care. They're not here, they are not a part of my everyday life. We don't make memories together anymore, we don't share stories... The friendship is broken, and now, we're struggling to glue together the millions of pieces left of with without any glue to hold it together, because being with one another while drinking beer, having parties, going places, doing stuff etc, is what the glue is made out of, and without it, a friendship, becomes a lonely ship.

I don't know. Let's just say that I've got some spare time on Sunday's to reflect on things.