On Making Friends

 I read an article today advising men on how to make friends. There is a crisis of loneliness, particularly among men, and this is becoming a popular theme for writers. Most men, apparently, struggle to have conversations that go deeper than banter, and many admit to not having a single close friend. The article was not a particularly engrossing one, and its suggestions can be be summed up as a) don't be embarrassed to seek new friends b) don't be embarrassed to read books to improve your socializing skills. If only it were that easy to find people with similar interests and whose personalities don't grate on your nerves (and vice versa, of course). I am not an outgoing person at all, but I don't instinctively shy away from making friends with a kindred spirit. Finding a kindred spirit is the tough bit--shared interests and platonic chemistry are both essential (at least to me). Friendship is one of my pet themes, so I am not going to say all I want to say in this post. But, the article did not explore the possibility of friendships between men and women and the challenge of maintaining friendships beyond the initial spark without seeming pushy. It also struck me that most of my friends are people unlike me in one respect--without an exception, they are warm and outgoing (this is definitely deserves a separate post). Also, I am not going to miss this opportunity to plug one of my first and most widely read blogspots, written back in 2007.