To be a Kanye fan has become sort of taboo. I get looks when I wear my t-shirt featuring Kanye West wearing a fur coat posed in the desert. While ordinarily I would agree that he’s slightly socially ignorant, his music is good. His new song "Real Friends," I believe, is a testament that Kanye knows how to treat the people he loves.
Losing friends and growing apart from them can be painful. I think that it rarely has to do with a falling-out, though. I believe that not everyone is meant to be in every phase of your life. I find that good friends always come back around. So if you ever feel down that an old best friend feels far away, don’t worry, because odds are they’ll be back.
I think in the midst of our lives, we forget that what we all really want is to love and be loved in return. Having good friends can make all the difference in any situation. Friendships take work and mutual effort. Loneliness is never a good feeling. Checking your phone and having no messages from anyone can suck sometimes. If this happens to you frequently, ask yourself — when was the last time you reached out to them, though?
“Who your real friends? We all came from the bottom
I’m always blamin’ you, but what’s sad, you not the problem
Dang I forgot to call her, shoot I thought it was Thursday
Why you wait a week to call my phone in the first place?
When was the last time I remembered a birthday?
When was the last time I wasn’t in a hurry?”
"Real Friends" —Kanye West
Everyone should have dreams to work hard for. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have any common ground to connect with anyone to make friends in the first place. But there needs to be balance. If you cut all your friends out of your life in working towards those dreams, you’ll look up and realize you don’t have anyone to share the joy of your success with. And isn’t sharing joy with the people you love kind of the point? The friends that you feel estranged from may be feeling the same way and wanting you to call them just as much as you want them to call you!
No one is actually busy 100 percent of the time. Taking 20 minutes out of your day to call a good friend back may actually turn your day around. I know for me, if I’m having a hectic day, a phone call to a friend almost always makes everything seem a little less miserable and impossible. That feeling of someone having your back can really make all your struggles seem more feasible.
“Couldn’t tell you how old your son is
Couldn’t tell you about the fam though
I just showed up for the yams yo”
"Real Friends" —Kanye West
Next time you go to call a friend for advice, make sure you ask about how they’re doing.
Don’t just show up for the yams, get what you need and hang up. While it’s good to have friends you feel comfortable turning to, it’s important you let them know you care about them and that you don’t just feel like talking to them just when you need them.
Treat your friends how you like them to treat you. Make sure you’re givin’ the love back, fam!
