How many friends do you have?
Discussion
I've just been helping out my best mate with a problem. We've been friends since we were at school together meeting 33 years ago. There's not much is not do for him, and him me.
I got thinking about friends. By definition - my definition - it's someone you can rely on, someone you can be totally open and honest with. Someone you might not see for years but you pick up just where you left off.
I reckon, excluding my wife and my in-laws, I have about eight true friends.
I know a lot of people and I am very friendly with many of them. I have neighbors who I get on great with. The last two groups kind of fall into a category above acquaintances.
My late father only had a couple of people he'd call friends yet the church was packed to the rafters at his funeral.
My wife has pretty distant friends. Ex-colleagues, and University friends.
A good friend of mine only appears to have two good friends, me and a guy he's known for decades.
In the world of Facebook we can have hundreds of 'friends' a mixture of all the above plus perhaps work mates people with a common interest (I my case cars)
So, how many friends - proper friends - do you have? Maybe you're like my Dad and claim to only have one or two but really you have a lot? Maybe you're someone who makes friends easily? Maybe transient acquauntences - the people from work or wherever - are all you want or need?
I got thinking about friends. By definition - my definition - it's someone you can rely on, someone you can be totally open and honest with. Someone you might not see for years but you pick up just where you left off.
I reckon, excluding my wife and my in-laws, I have about eight true friends.
I know a lot of people and I am very friendly with many of them. I have neighbors who I get on great with. The last two groups kind of fall into a category above acquaintances.
My late father only had a couple of people he'd call friends yet the church was packed to the rafters at his funeral.
My wife has pretty distant friends. Ex-colleagues, and University friends.
A good friend of mine only appears to have two good friends, me and a guy he's known for decades.
In the world of Facebook we can have hundreds of 'friends' a mixture of all the above plus perhaps work mates people with a common interest (I my case cars)
So, how many friends - proper friends - do you have? Maybe you're like my Dad and claim to only have one or two but really you have a lot? Maybe you're someone who makes friends easily? Maybe transient acquauntences - the people from work or wherever - are all you want or need?
Excluding g/f, i would say 2 "friends". Maybe 3 at a push. People ive know for years and who i trust.
Then maybe 10 "mates" who i will have daily tea breaks at work with, or odd bike rides with, who i like to hang out with.
Generally quite happy on my own, if need be, but i wouldnt describe myself as some sort of autistic loner - i like organising things like our PH Mountain biking rides etc and meeting new folks.
Edit: as for F/B, "I" am not on it. I do have a fake account so that i can access F/B things. I think i have 10 "friends" on that. 3 of them i think are the same person (another mate with multiple accounts) and one of them is another sock-puppet account of mine!
People that have several hundred "friends".... they arent your friends.
Then maybe 10 "mates" who i will have daily tea breaks at work with, or odd bike rides with, who i like to hang out with.
Generally quite happy on my own, if need be, but i wouldnt describe myself as some sort of autistic loner - i like organising things like our PH Mountain biking rides etc and meeting new folks.
Edit: as for F/B, "I" am not on it. I do have a fake account so that i can access F/B things. I think i have 10 "friends" on that. 3 of them i think are the same person (another mate with multiple accounts) and one of them is another sock-puppet account of mine!
People that have several hundred "friends".... they arent your friends.
Edited by daddy cool on Tuesday 27th September 12:09
daddy cool said:
Excluding g/f, i would say 2 "friends". Maybe 3 at a push. People ive know for years and who i trust.
Then maybe 10 "mates" who i will have daily tea breaks at work with, or odd bike rides with, who i like to hang out with.
Generally quite happy on my own, if need be, but i wouldnt describe myself as some sort of autistic loner - i like organising things like our PH Mountain biking rides etc and meeting new folks.
Edit: as for F/B, "I" am not on it. I do have a fake account so that i can access F/B things. I think i have 10 "friends" on that. 3 of them i think are the same person (another mate with multiple accounts) and one of them is another sock-puppet account of mine!
People that have several hundred "friends".... they arent your friends.
Well with my answer to this question being 0, and what with you being into MTB, where you at? if you're near me I can change that 0 to 1, woot! Then maybe 10 "mates" who i will have daily tea breaks at work with, or odd bike rides with, who i like to hang out with.
Generally quite happy on my own, if need be, but i wouldnt describe myself as some sort of autistic loner - i like organising things like our PH Mountain biking rides etc and meeting new folks.
Edit: as for F/B, "I" am not on it. I do have a fake account so that i can access F/B things. I think i have 10 "friends" on that. 3 of them i think are the same person (another mate with multiple accounts) and one of them is another sock-puppet account of mine!
People that have several hundred "friends".... they arent your friends.
Edited by daddy cool on Tuesday 27th September 12:09
True friends - friends you ring when something bad happens, or you're getting married and you need best men, ushers, etc.? Probably about 6 including my brother.
Then I have a wide group of good friends from different backgrounds - those who I like to socialise with, go out for drinks/dinner with etc. Probably about 15 or so.
Then I have the wider social group of friends - locals from the pub, members from the golf club, etc. Probably another 30 or so.
I'm not on Facebook and don't want to be.
The top 6 I speak/text to regularly. But it can be several weeks between contact - it doesn't matter.
The next 15 you might see once or twice a month, always good to catch up with.
Funnily enough the bottom group I probably see the most - pub after work or golf club every weekend.
Then I have a wide group of good friends from different backgrounds - those who I like to socialise with, go out for drinks/dinner with etc. Probably about 15 or so.
Then I have the wider social group of friends - locals from the pub, members from the golf club, etc. Probably another 30 or so.
I'm not on Facebook and don't want to be.
The top 6 I speak/text to regularly. But it can be several weeks between contact - it doesn't matter.
The next 15 you might see once or twice a month, always good to catch up with.
Funnily enough the bottom group I probably see the most - pub after work or golf club every weekend.
I have no friends at all. I've never been able to really build friendships. I was friends a few years ago but it seemed that everytime I seen him it was always to his benefit and seemed to always involve me driving him about and he was the type to always run everybody down behind their back and then act best friends in person to them. Plus he was always out drinking every weekend and going places and I was never once invited. Pretty clear to me that I was simply being used. Only people in my phone are family.
Edited by burritoNinja on Tuesday 27th September 12:18
cheesesliceking said:
Well with my answer to this question being 0, and what with you being into MTB, where you at? if you're near me I can change that 0 to 1, woot!
Your profile location says "Left of all of you", so i guess the correct answer is for me to say "im slightly to your right".HTH, new-frwend!
burritoNinja said:
I have no friends at all. I've never been able to really build friendships. I was friends a few years ago but it seemed that everytime I seen him it was always to his benefit and seemed to always involve me driving him about and he was the type to always run everybody down behind their back and then act best friends in person to them.
Same here. It's happened to me many times and all it's really done is destroy my trust in others.Roscco said:
I have 300+ contacts in my phone I've gathered over the years.
I know who maybe 50 of them are, speak to about 10 and would call 5 friends.
I recently setup a new Facebook account (you can't close one down AFAIK) and very closely limit who and what I see/do with it.
You can close a facebook account down, but it is quite a long winded process compared to simply de-activating an account which you can ultimately re-open later on. I know who maybe 50 of them are, speak to about 10 and would call 5 friends.
I recently setup a new Facebook account (you can't close one down AFAIK) and very closely limit who and what I see/do with it.
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