I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” (Anaïs Nin)

In this salon, fellow Interintellect Vidhika Bansal explores the wonders (and even the woes) of friendship: what it means to us, how it comes to be, and ways we can cultivate it

Friendship is a beautiful thing. From our weak tie relationships to our BFFs, our friends — irrespective of closeness — tend to make us healthier, happier, more fulfilled humans.

After all, friends can be many things to and for us: mirrors, sounding boards, collaborators, playmates. They can serve as our partners-in-crime and our support systems. They can, as the cliché goes, become the family we choose.

But of course, friendship isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Friendships can become imbalanced, challenging, emotionally-draining, even toxic. There’s the risk of being betrayed or drifting apart. And it’s no secret that nurturing existing friendships — and making new friends — can take time and energy that sometimes we just don’t feel like we have amid everything else on our plates.

So let’s get together and talk about it (and maybe make some new friends along the way)!

✨

Some of the topics we might explore in this salon:

• The unspoken rules of friendship + what makes friendships blossom or wilt
• How the pandemic has evolved the landscape and nature of our friendships
• How online-first friendships compare to IRL ones (beyond the obvious)
• Experiences with friend breakups and outgrowing friendships over time
• Tiers of friendship — from casual friendquaintances to our closest friends
• How we can not just find good friends but also *be* good friends to others
• Ideas for fostering more/better connections + making friends as an adult

✨

Suggested pre-salon reading + watching:

The pandemic is resetting casual friendships (The Atlantic)

The purpose of friendship (The School of Life on YouTube)

Why your friends are more important than you think (Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine)

The 12 levels of friendship in Arabic (Thread on Twitter)

True friendships are communistic, not capitalist (Society for Personality & Social Psychology)

Hope to see you there! And in the meantime, call a friend ❤️

***

🗓 ii Calendar

📋 Code of Conduct

📚 Become a member, get a free ticket every month, access our forums, members-only events, and more!

–