A Post In Which I Get To Bash Another's Way of Thinking Because I'm Female And Of Course That Makes Me Right So Blow Me.

While reading a blog I had NO BUSINESS reading (as the author of the blog no longer writes on the previous blog that I read, creating this new one that I'm sure was meant to keep out ruffians such as myself) I got through about half of The Author's ramblings and realized-- HE'S SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK. I thought maybe he was venting... maybe even using a little bitter sarcasm to drive his point home. NOPE. He's serious.

Which honestly... just makes me sad.

Here's an excerpt:

You see, I have this rule - I don't get really close with the people with which I work. To me, becoming friends with those at work, as opposed to being friendly is a no no; simply, it comes at a price.I know that this sounds jaded and cynical, but I just think that there is a definite line to be drawn. Half of the time, these are people that you would never even have met in the first place and would honestly never choose to go out drinking with. It tends to play out like this, "hey WHY is Judith from Marketing feeling my knee whilst trying to talk to me about the budget?" Or, "is Jeremy from MIS running around outside of the restaurant with his shirt off AGAIN, after having one too many, screaming about how George Lucas totally destroyed his aspirations of ever becoming a Jedi Knight?"

To which I say: WHAT THE FUCK.

Why is meeting someone at work ANY DIFFERENT than meeting someone at church? Or at a bar? You have just as much in common with a co-worker as someone with whom you attend worship services. What makes someone you may meet at church or at a friend's house any different than someone you meet at work? I've met many "friend-of-a-friends" that I haven't cared for at all, just as I've met many co-workers for whom I don't particularly care. But OCCASIONALLY I meet someone-- in a bar, in a social circle, in a class, in a work environment, that I absolutely ADORE.

And it may truly be someone with whom I have nothing in common-- but that's the beauty of it. If I surrounded myself with like individuals I think my life would be pretty boring. I like the spice these extra people add to my life and I'm thankful I took that extra non-jaded step to let them in. Where did this guy's close friends come from? From college days? Talk about a mixture of socio-economic backgrounds and religions and viewpoints and ethnicities! It's just like work-- instead of the primary focus being a corporate goal, the primary focus is learning. Everyone was there for similar reasons and there were probably a lot of people in college this guy didn't want to waste 3 seconds looking at, much less talking to. But for whatever reason, I'm sure he befriended some of them. And what was the harm? Maybe some of these friendships came and went... maybe some of them stayed. Who cares. The point is, why cut yourself off from people who could turn out to be beautiful, inspring friends? Yes, there's always that chance a friendship may sour but we take that chance with ANYONE. Why cut off such a huge portion of your day? You spend eight hours a day at work, toiling away. Why not let it be a semi-happy (or at least moderately-bearable) place? I'll be the first to tell you that there are two women at work that I had never met before stepping foot in this place-- and I adore them. Beyond that, there's a good dozen individuals that I truly enjoy. These people make my day go faster and I appreciate them for having an open heart and letting others in.

So. Now that I've ranted and rambled-- let me say I didn't want this to sound like a personal attack. The subject matter is what got to me-- and I couldn't hold my tongue.
It just seems like a more of an effort to NOT be friends with someone you may like just because they're work-related than it would to just give in and BE FRIENDS. And Lord Knows I'm never going to make an extra effort for something when the easy route can be so fabulous and give me hundreds more people from which to choose.

**Note: Of course, I'm normally write about cynical and jaded things and spouting off the above nonsense is seemingly quite touchy-feely and whatnot. I don't write about the happy-go-lucky days or the peaceful days or the days when good-things-happen because.. well, sometimes I like them to just be mine. So instead I'm perfectly happy to be the one that points the finger and says NO NO BAD DOG, THAT'S NOT THE WAY YOU GO ABOUT THAT AT ALL.
I can do this because I say I can SO THERE.