Noting that “it’s easy to never be alone and yet very lonely,” Lane Wood relays an anecdote:
I meet someone interesting at an event and return home to find they’ve already added me on Facebook. I’m nosy, so I want to see what friends we have in common. Turns out, we know 89 of the same people. Which begs the question: How on earth is it possible to have 89 mutual friends with someone I’ve just met?
The experience prompted him to ponder the meaning of genuine friendship:
True friends are our best personal brand consultants, the ones that sit us down and tell us the truth about our lives. They understand not just what we do, but who we are becoming. They help expose the lies we tell ourselves and breathe life into moments that need encouragement. They’re not pursuaded by high levels of “epicness” or exclusive invites. Friends are content to navigate the mundane and the everyday together, because not everything can be “crushed.”
The world needs more friends. More specifically, the world desperately needs more “connections” to become true friendships.
The Dish 