Men With Friends: Choosing Them Wisely

“Tell me who you spend time with and I will tell you who you are.”

~ Goethe

The Myth

You've seen the commercials. Guys kicking it on the golf course, at the beach, chasing the ladies out on the town, or confessing their sins to one another. What, you've not seen the last scenario in the media? That's odd.

Men struggle making friends with other men. Maybe it's the alpha male, leader of the pack mentality that stands in the way of becoming true companions, but men today are more alone than ever before. Our gender (there's only male and female) seem to fail at friend making.

Sure, we surround ourselves with other men who enjoy doing similar stuff, or working on assignments given by a supervisor, but I have some disturbing news for you. Those guys are not your friends. They are associates or employees.

Loose Associations

Years ago, I had my pad'nahs that I worked with, hit the gym together and hung out after work a few times a week. I assumed, like most men, that this was my expansive circle of friends; my brothers.

The truth was, when the job was done, so were the relationships. When the gym ended so did my workout partners, and once I stopped hanging out in the bars after work, the guys stopped hanging out with me. It was sobering to say the least.