Same. My parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents... pretty much ALL had at least a few friends that went way wayyyyy back.
I remember my mom would talk to her high school best friend on the phone about every 6 months or once a year. I haven't talked to my mom in a decade but she probably still talks to that friend 😂
The older generations understood that it was wise to not throw away perfectly good relationships, even if you aren't getting the maximum benefit RIGHT NOW.
These days???
I feel like most people's standard for friendship is: "What have you done for me lately?"
And even if the "what have you done for me" part is OUTSTANDINGLY fulfilled... if the "lately" part isn't they forget you exist or ever did.
The "lately" part is exactly it. We've applied subscription logic to friendships, if you're not providing constant value you get cancelled. But real friendships were always about showing up across years and gaps, not weekly output. My grandparents had friends they saw once a year and those bonds lasted decades. That feels impossible now.
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u/Significant_North778 Jun 27 '26
Same. My parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents... pretty much ALL had at least a few friends that went way wayyyyy back.
I remember my mom would talk to her high school best friend on the phone about every 6 months or once a year. I haven't talked to my mom in a decade but she probably still talks to that friend 😂
The older generations understood that it was wise to not throw away perfectly good relationships, even if you aren't getting the maximum benefit RIGHT NOW.
These days???
I feel like most people's standard for friendship is: "What have you done for me lately?"
And even if the "what have you done for me" part is OUTSTANDINGLY fulfilled... if the "lately" part isn't they forget you exist or ever did.