I was never one to actively hop on to my Facebook to find friends online. I mostly used it for games or keeping in touch with distant family members, seeing what they were up to. I frankly did not have the time to sit down and chat with people and get to know them. But something was different about this one. I could feel it from the moment I spoke to her for the first time.
Are Online Friends Real Friends?
It all started off while chatting on Facebook. Yes, me. I never thought I’d be the one to find friends online or even consider something like Facebook dating. I didn’t even know how to find internet friends! But she was a special snowflake. She came into my life and I didn’t even realize how it happened. She simply was a part of my life one day and I knew I couldn’t imagine it without her anymore.
She liked the way I sang (I find it hard not to sing while chatting, my constant urge reinvigorated by a scientific paper which claimed singing often is good for life), I liked her simple amicable nature. She told me that her exams were soon approaching. I helped her with her studies, guiding her on what to focus on, what to omit, and of course, the age-old advice of ‘Take it easy, you will be just fine!’
Her exams went smoothly, and we chatted more often. There was an undeniable connection, and we both knew it. Somehow our souls were destined to collide, and we were meant to be ‘amigos’! So as destined, we started off talking about our choice of movies, our favorite music, and so on and so forth….
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We were becoming online best friends
She mentioned how Eric Clapton’s songs grow on you, and I suggested a few songs that she hadn’t heard before (by David Gray, Dave Matthews’ Band, and so on). Needless to say, the friendship grew stronger with each chat session. We became e-buddies or even online best friends! We’d greet each other every morning, pull each other’s legs, and discuss everything from how sick society can be to world peace. We would even ask controversial deep questions to get to know each other better.
She sent me pictures of her cooking experiments, and honestly, her experiments would be awarded the Nobel culinary prize, if there ever was such a thing! She has a pet dog that she loves deeply (which you can see by the way she refers to the canine soul!). She has an open mind and can grasp at least a bit of my poetry, and philosophy.
She knows enough slangs in my language to keep up with me, and I teach her a word or two of foreign languages whenever I can (so far I’ve taught her the meaning of ‘enchante’, ‘manana’).
She has changed my life
Looking for friends online is not something I ever did consciously. But when I stumbled upon her, my life truly changed. My life has opened up a lot in the last three months since we became e-buddies. In life, I’ve had really good enemies and really bad friends, and needless to say, both these classes of souls have taught me a lot about life.
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Friendship is not just about spending time with friends in the physical world. It is a deeper, emotional connection that’s why I strongly urge people to make online friendships with other people. About a week or so ago, I told her about my wish to write a book. She guaranteed it would work out just fine, and asked me to give her a copy once it was finished. Even if I don’t talk to her, reading through our previous chat sessions keeps our friendship alive.
To find friends online seems like a blessing
Our relationship made me ponder, whether, like the soulmate theory, there is a theory that states that two perfect strangers are destined to enter each other’s lives and eventually their friendship will make both their lives bodacious! To find friends online doesn’t seem like such a wasteful thing to me now.
I wouldn’t mind propounding such a theory because this experience is more than enough evidence to back it up with. I’m sure in the near future, some wise scientist or mystic will work to this end (if somebody hasn’t already!)
I’m deeply indebted to the internet. If someone asks me today, ‘Are online friends real friends?’, I say yes without hesitation. To find friends online has helped me find help when I was victimized and isolated, it helped me grow, and it also gifted me this awesome relationship that will last for years, I know it. I’d like to hang out in real life with my friend, but even if we can’t (because spreading slander is second nature to society), I’m sure this friendship will go a long way. Our journey of being online best friends has its own charm.
FAQs
One is not better than the other. Both kinds of friendships bring their own merits and flavor to your life. Your real-life friends will bring out a different side of you and your online friends will teach you something else.
Not necessarily. People are only wary about looking for friends online because it is hard to trust people through a screen. It is much easier to fall prey to catfishing or be manipulated by a stranger online.
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