A couple of days ago, I decided to do an experiment with my “friends," without their knowledge. This way I could tell who was there for me when I really just needed a friend.
My friends, they probably won’t even read this. However, on the off-chance that they are reading this, I want them to know that I deserve friends who will always be there for me, not just when it's convenient for them. We do have to spend four years together, ya know?
College is a time to make the best friends I have ever had (that will be a hard one to beat). It's a time to understand the definition of true friendship and to test those friendships. It's also a time for parties and drunken phone calls. Statistically speaking, about four out of five college students drink alcohol. Also, statistically speaking, “loyalty” and “always being there” are in the top four factors people want in their friends, as well.
Testing friendships is key to understand what it means to be a good friend. I called four people and pretended I was drunk and lost to see who would help me. I learned that not everyone was going to be there for me.
The first person I called said, “what the hell am I supposed to do?”
Granted, that broke my spirit a little because he was one of the most trustworthy people out of the four. I wasn't going to let that stop me from seeing who would actually go out of their way to help me.
When I called the second person, I didn't know he was actually drunk, but he did give me advice. It wasn't very helpful, though. He told me to “get off on any exit and go take a nap.” He tried to help which is the complete opposite of what the first person did.
He proceeded to tell his friend and she called me to say “drink lots of water.” That was the only advice I got from her.
The last person I called wasn't even in the same state as me, but he Googled which exit I needed to take and he didn't yell at me when I woke him up in the middle of the night. He talked to me calmly and told me that everything would be alright.
I tested friendships and even if they were wobbly and unstable I knew I could count on at least one person, and everyone needs at least one person.
I'm not saying these friendships are failed friendships or this one person will always be there, but I am saying to choose your friends wisely and if you ever need someone, make sure at least one person will help you and if you can't find one person, meet someone new. Don't limit yourself to bad friends because you're afraid of searching for good ones.
As George Washington once said, "be alone than in bad company."
