"There was an awkward moment at my brother's 40th birthday when he asked me, in front of everyone, why I spend more time with my "random friends" than with family. The room went quiet. My mom nodded along, clearly wondering the same thing. It stung, but it also made me realize something profound about how our relationships evolve as we age."
""Friendships are a conscious choice. Family relationships can be serious, negative and monotonous." Every friendship in my life exists because both parties actively decided to be there. There's no obligation, no guilt trips about missing Sunday dinner, no decades-old resentments bubbling under the surface. When my startup friends and I get together, it's because we genuinely want to be there, not because someone's keeping score."
Friendships increasingly become primary emotional supports in adulthood as people choose companions who understand shared experiences, schedules, and life choices. Chosen friends offer relief from familial obligations, long-standing resentments, and social expectations. Friends who have navigated similar career paths, such as entrepreneurship, provide practical empathy and acceptance without judgment. Social interactions with friends are motivated by mutual desire rather than duty, making gatherings more genuine and sustaining. As life circumstances change with age, selected friendships can serve as reliable support networks that complement or sometimes supersede traditional family connections. They reduce loneliness and foster well-being.
Read at Silicon Canals
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