I've heard it many times, since I was a kid:
"Friends you have while being at school are the only real friends."
“Friends you meet after entering the society are just superficial.”
"You cannot find true friends once you leave the school."
Or, even "you cannot find true love once you enter the adult world."
(For once, I really believed that I have to find someone when I am a student, or I will never find my "true love.”)
When I graduated and first started to work, I kept a distance with my coworkers. I was not mentioning my personal life. People came to me with requests, and I solved for them immediately.
I thought that was so-called "professional" - stick to the business, serious, and efficient.
However, throughout the time, I become more and more familiar with my work surrounding and develop certain rapport with my colleagues. We chat, communicate, and participate in various activities. Then, I realize, that makes us more “humane.” When discuss business, we are not only a “working machine.” I am comfortable with them and I care about them. We are making progress and we are able to shake off frustrations. I am no more pretending “Miss Perfect,” and having more fun.
Are they “real friends?” If you define friends as “one attached to another by affection or esteem” (from Webster) or “help each other’s out in good time or bad time” – yes, they are.
As for "you cannot find true love once you enter the adult world" part...Of course, the myth was broken right after I found Baby. ;)
