What is Friendship?

Dave Winer: “The world isn’t divided into two parts — friends and enemies. I choose to think of friend as a very strong word, representing a very close relationship. I think this may be in part due to what I do, because I need a good solid line separating my public life from my personal. A friend is a personal relationship. I like and admire many people who I don’t consider friends.”

This essay by Dave is a bit provacative, yet very interesting. I understand where he’s coming from- sometimes it is hard to know what friendship is. I say that because I know many people, and call them friends, but you never know what the level of relationship is until you’re in need and you call on someone. The important part of this discussion is that we can be good people and not necessarily connect as friends. Friendship is probably much more rare than we realize or admit. Having said that, if you think you’re a friend of mine, you probably are. It isn’t about exclusion- it is about connection.

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