You're So Vain...You Probably Think This Post Is About You

Welcome to the show....It's been a while and I think this is the perfect time for one of my famous rants...

Think about all your friends. Theres school friends, work friends, best friends, life-long friends, friends you can depend on in a bind, friends that make you laugh to cheer you up, and friends who lend you a shoulder to cry on, or act as a sounding board when things get rough.

                       

 (Enter stage left)

Then there are the superficial friends. These are the friends who aren't really friends at all. People who are superficial friends are either using you for some personal benefit (you have a car and they need a ride, you fit the example of who they are trying to be this week, etc.) or more likely than not...they just need numbers. 

With the inception of Facebook, I have noticed a growing epidemic of people out there who will send a friend request, simply to have an impressive harem of friends on their profile page. It's sad really...they have no intention of ever communicating with you on any sort of sub-dermal level...so why do they bother? 

They need an audience. 

                          (Hold for applause) 

Some people are born to perform. They need many people to witness their "amazing" day to day life. People to make jealous, people to believe in their song and dance routine. Why? Probably due to their low self-esteem, they believe that the world needs to revolve around them. Seems odd that someone with low self-esteem would want constant attention, but to them it provides validation in an uncertain world. So they step on stage, bring up the lights, and begin the dog and pony show that they think everyone wants to see. They don't care what YOU are doing, or what YOU are going through....life is all about them and how fabulous they are. Aren't you jealous of their new car? Their new job? Their new puppy? No? Well thats ok. As long as you don't call them out on it, you can remain a face and a number in their friend list, and they are more than content with that. 

                                  (Spotlight)

They want to believe that everything you say and do revolves around them. It's sad really, that adults can be so immature, but it happens every day. One-sided "friendships" that really mean nothing. These are not the people that can be counted on when something terrible happens. They are the ones that will only help you if it makes them look good, or do nothing at all. Yet, when they need help, its as if the world has come to a screeching halt, and everyone is subject to the mundane details of their ever-evolving saga. 

I do my best to be a good friend...and I often fail miserably. But my real friends know I care about them, even when I am bad about showing it...because sometimes I am good about showing it.
I have eliminated a lot of this type of people from my life. If I want drama, I'll turn on some Real Housewives or something like that. At least I can shut the tv off when I get sick of it. 

I suggest everyone (myself included) do a little soul searching about what kind of friends you want to have, and therefore, what kind of friend you want to be. Perhaps I got a little off topic...this post is supposed to be more about people who only care about themselves, but as I started writing I realized that this is synonymous with friendship. It's not possible to be someone who cares only about themselves and be a good friend. You would have to stop telling everyone how wonderful you are, and start telling everyone how wonderful SOMEONE ELSE is.  

                       (pause for dramatic effect)

Scene.