My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon goes by the name of Friends Explained. I tore it out of the NY Daily News years ago, and keep it framed in my study. Work Friends shows two men sitting next to each other at a meeting. One says, "So how's your wife?" The other replies, "Dead. Same as last week..."
It rings so true... Intriguing column by Sebastian Mallaby on how we're losing the knack of cultivating friends. He's talking about Americans, but I'd say the British experience is much the same:
People work more hours. They commute longer because they've moved to the exurbs in search of larger homes; they've got spacious entertainment rooms but no mental space for entertaining. And then there's the subtle effect of the culture. "Family time" is endlessly extolled, and lovers emit poetry and song about every facet of their relationships. But when was the last time a rock singer or a new man waxed lyrical about friendship?
...Twenty years ago... a concerned European might have prescribed an emergency program of cafe construction: a reverse Marshall Plan for cappuccinos. But now Starbucks has run that experiment for us. American caffeine addicts demand lattes to go -- or to sip as they enjoy the company of Wi-Fi-enabled laptops.
Sad but true. I've lost contact with most of my closest pals over the past couple of years - partly due to post-9/11 political arguments, but also because, like a lot of people, I'm guilty of not making an effort. It's always easier to talk via e-mail, especially as I hate using the phone. And the older I get, the less patient I become with new acquaintances. A bad, bad habit.