Everyone says that when you go off to college, you'll probably lose touch with the frineds you left back home. I think people said this when the only way to stay in touch was to write letters by mail. In today's day in age, losing touch is only the fault of laziness. It takes two seconds to type a text that says "Hey how are you?" and send it to your friend back home.
Even though I have only been in college for three weeks, I still talk to my friends from back home every day. And let's be honest, I probably will get lazy or busy and not text them for a few days. But then I'll read this editorial and remeber to check on them every once in a while. When I am in my dorm being the little hermit that I am, it really is alot easier for me to call one of my friends or text one of my friends from back home, than it is to go find people around campus to hang out with.
However, friends in college are alot different than friends from back home. On one hand, they can be more reliable becasue they live in the same place as you. When you make plans to go eat or to watch a movie at night, it is easier to track them down and make them keep their promise. Where as the friends back home can get held up with their lives. The traffic can be so overwhelming they just give up and say "Maybe we can hang when people aren't such terrible drivers" (So basically never). Since they are not there with you, it is easier to break plans becaue they don't have to see your disappointed face, they can just look at a sad emoji.
On the contrary, your friends back home know you better and probably care more about you. Not saying that these new friends you have acquired do not have the capacity to care; they just met you less than a month ago. In the times of need, you cannot expect them to drop everything that is golden, just to come to your aid. In their minds, they think, "But would she do the same for me?". It's nothing against you, it is just the pure fact that they do not know who you really are, and if you are the person to come to their aid if the tables were turned. Your friends at home, probaly know that you can only have one shot of Vodka before you pass out. They probably know not to give you any alcohol when you're upset becasue it makes you depressed because you know you shouldn't be drinking and now you feel like you've failed your whole family and God is going to smite you. These new friends that you have found, could never know these crucial things, becasue they haven't been through the things your friends at home have.
The moral of the story is, yes it is good to move on with your life to bigger and better things. Yes it is great to meet new people and network and get your name out there. But no, it is not okay to leave your friends behind. No it is not okay to forget all the times they saved your ass from the police or worse, your parents. Yes it is okay to go to the aid of your new friend when they are in trouble, even though you are not completely sure that they will come to your aid when you need it. Yes this is okay becasue you just met them and they need time to know that you are a "Ride or Die Homie". Remember that it takes two seconds to say "Hey how are you doing" to a friend who is probably missing you like crazy. Remeber that the world does not evovle around you and they have things going on in their lives too. So maybe you will have to wait until people learn how to drive better, for you to go see them. Or maybe you stop being so selfish and go see them yourselves.
Keeping friendships alive is all about compromise and patience. So stop being stubborn and be more considerate!
