I Like To Keep Myself Somewhat Distanced From People

I don’t become close with anyone because I’ll only be close with my best friend if I have one. Strangers, acquaintances, and friends don’t have the privilege to know me at that high level. It takes a long time to develop an acquaintance to a friend, a friend to a close friend, and a close friend to a best friend. Not everyone is looking for a friend; instead, they’re just looking for people to spend time with for the moment. You can’t be friends with someone right away. Getting to know someone before labeling each other as friends is required because you don’t know if he or she is someone you can be friends with. The time you spend with that person is the trial period before you determine if he or she fits your life. If you want a real friendship both of you have to consider each other as a friend and the two of you equally give and receive, otherwise one of you is taking advantage of the other. You can have various types of friends—ones you eat at restaurants, party, read books, watch movies, play sports, have deep conversations, go on road trips, shop, run, walk, joke, debate, or have fun with. Some friendships don’t last because you change, the other person changes, where you live changes, or where the other person lives changes. I can’t build friendships online because I don’t know who I’m truly talking to. It can be my mother pretending to be someone else so she can acquire information about me that no one else knows including her, or someone else who hates or doesn’t like me. Communication can be intercepted if it is through e-mail, phone, or online. The only way you can know who you’re truly talking to is in person. You can’t know how someone behaves or treats other people without observing him or her doing so, and you can’t know his or her voice quality (deep to low voice and raspy to smooth), smell, the speed rate of his or her speech (talk slow, fast, medium), and his or her personality traits. You are attracted to some things and repelled by other things. I can only develop friendships offline and also not on the phone. I need to spend time with friends and have quality conversations with them in person. I’d rather talk to someone in person. Here’s a link about the stages of friendship: http://thewisesloth.com/2012/12/30/stages-of-friendship/