Friends, In Number

I think that while having the one or more really close friends is essential, it is never a bad thing to have a multitude of "kind of" friends. Having friends, no matter how close they are, is only beneficial, and if they are not, then the friendship should probably be rethought.

With that said, having those extremely close, almost family like friends, is more important. They'll kick it with you when things are good, and keep you going when things get tough. You can go to them for advice, or just a way to vent, and they will always be there to listen and help. "Kind of" friends serve a different, but still important purpose. While they might not always go out of their way to do something for you, they can be relied on for simple things, and are simply fun to be around. Besides, current "kind of" friends could turn out being your best friends in the future, so you should never count them out.

I do not think that people who have more friends are happier than less, or vice versa. I've found that those with the less friends like having it that way, as could be said for those with more. It all depends on what type of person you are. What really matters is the core group of good friends that each group have. Without that core, neither group have anything. I think that when it comes to friendship and happiness, it does not necessarily matter how many friends you have, but how many enemies you have.

I think that many of those people who accumulate a lot of friends do it because they like to be the life of the party. They like the attention that they get, and they like being involved, and active. Some of it also happens naturally. Sometimes friends find them, and they just go with the flow. Personally, I like being surrounded by not just many people, but many different people. I feel like it evens me out, and keeps my mind open to many different ideas, and viewpoints. Sometimes people use it to fill a void of something they don't have. If someone is missing a father or father figure, they'll simply fill it with a vast amount of friends. At the same time, there are those who choose to have only a small amount of friends, consisting mostly of their closest friends. They take friendship differently. They are perfectly happy with the few that they have and that's fine. They probably put pretty much everything they have into those few, making it hard to have many more. Their friendships are very deep, personal, and real. I believe both groups need the attention, as everyone does, one group gets it from many, the other get the attention they need from only a few.

I find myself somewhere in the middle. Like I said, I like to keep my friendships diverse. My closest friends, have been there for me forever, and that's how I know they are my closest friends. It's been tested many times. I also try to meet and get to know many new people, and widen my friendships everyday, even though I realize that many of them will likely fade into the past. So far, it's worked great, as I'm sure it will in the future. I think I've found the perfect balance.

david dominguez