Talking about being sentimental and age and how this affects one's view of friendship, I am beginning to realise how powerful technology has developed in such a way that it changed the way you see friendship. I am the more conservative type. I don't have lots of friends on facebook, for example, and not intend on increasing too many too soon, and NOT (what a "narrow escape" on facebook, at least I tried) knowing people without first knowing/seeing them in REAL life. I think friendship can be enhanced by technology, but technology cannot totally replaced how one will know a person. Feeling can be wrongly interpreted, words can be misled. People that you don't know (or not seen at all in real life) only get connected to you by common interest, for example, where exchanges of opinions took place and nothing else. Any attempts in this case to try and take things too seriously would only be at one's risk.Yes, it is "superficial" because it cannot get any deeper than the emotional depth, but it serves some purpose. People should really be careful what they wish for. This is my personal experience and opinion and only apply to some people.
When I was younger, living/working in a place like Singapore (as least for me) makes one feel a little difficult about establishing good friendship, as in what basis are you "friending" people and what "motives", if it is for business, and if you stripped off the element of "business", what make people connect with people began to be clear and if you are not up for a friendship, then it all fell into pieces. I often have this issue while I was working in the commercial sector, dealing with clients and customers and serving them, and putting my minds making them happy people. I certainly didn't quite understand the sophistication of human relationships. I was also often caught up with not "catching up" with existing friends, as in if you not seen them for a while the friendship will "fade away" and then you feel so weird visiting them on Chinese New Year. You just not sure you visit them for the New Year or because you want to "catch up" with them. When things are not making sense, it lost me altogether.
I often quite fancy a good old fashion long distance friendship. Letter writing is such a sentimental experience, where you put your thoughts and emotion down, putting them in words and expressed them beautifully to your pals. Over time, technology advanced the pace and depth of friendship development. Generally or at least for me, I find people do meet, but maybe not so often, and we should not really bother too much about it, unless if you began to expect a bit more then this way of developing friendship is not for you (or maybe you should find a different type of website or way of communicating with your friends).
In short, in this context of friendship, meeting or no meeting does not matter, it's the quality of friendship that matter. I am enjoying and benefiting from this. My recent chats with friends, whom I last met only one or two years ago have been empowering and reassuring. May this carry on for as long as possible. Of course, people may come or they may just go, still there is no expectation whatsoever, it's really whether your other chat mates share the same belief with you on building friendship this way. I have been lucky to know friends supporting this belief. I would just enjoy the time and the quality that I get from such meaningful interactions, so thanks to GG, YC, George and a few others. Friendship has never been so simple.It's GREAT! :D
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