Recently, I came across a tweet from Twitter user @EFFLORESCENE that read, "I can't believe y'all took "prioritize yourself, you don't owe the world your whole soul and turned it into don't be there for your friends or loved ones and never apologize when you do wrong and stop having empathy for those around you." This complaint about society is something that has bothered me for quite some time.
i can’t believe y’all took “prioritize yourself, you don’t owe the world your whole soul” and turned it into “don’t… https://t.co/dPdwstU1yC— porg (@porg) 1540131963.0
It's okay to take time to yourself, it's okay to put yourself first, but if you make the commitment of being a friend to someone, it's important to care and be there for those people who are your friends. Everyone has busy lives, and your friends will understand that, but if they are constantly there for you, and you ignore them when they reach out to you, that is an unfair balance of friendship.
The best friendships are the ones where you don't have to see each other or even talk to each other every day, but you know that your bond cannot be broken even with a bit of distance. The best friendships also involve a balance. This is a balance between effort and reciprocation on both sides.
Now, I'm not saying that you should do things for your friends and always expect something in return. You should never do things for other people just for how they can return the favor. What I'm trying to say is that your friends deserve the time of day. You should always find a way to make time for them, if possible. Obviously, there are some situations where a person can't make time for anyone, even themselves, because of how busy their lives are.
Also, your friends deserve to have the time and care that they put into your friendship to be reciprocated. It's always important to be there for the people you care about, but it is even more important to take responsibility for your actions. If your friend tells you that you did something that hurt or bothered them, there is a discussion to be had. A quote I love is "when some tells you that you hurt them, you don't get to decide that you didn't." It is so important to take responsibility for how you treat your friends.
Overall, just show your friends that you care for them. It doesn't have to be in the exact same way that they show it. Everyone has their own way of showing that they care about people. As long as your intentions and the outcome of your intentions are positive, then your friendships should follow in suit.
