Скачать или смотреть Seasonal Friendship When Convenience Wears the Mask of Connection

Friendship, in its truest form, is a sanctuary. It is where the heart finds rest, where words flow freely, and where silence is equally understood. Yet not every connection we call “friendship” is truly a friendship. There are those ties that sprout suddenly, like spring blossoms, vibrant and intoxicating in the moment—but fragile, temporary, and destined to wither with the first change in season. These are what we might call seasonal friendships: relationships rooted not in loyalty or care, but in convenience, utility, or fleeting need.

The Nature of a Seasonal Friend

A seasonal friend is someone who enters your life with warmth and enthusiasm, often making you feel as if you are important, valued, and central to their world. But their attachment is conditional. It lasts only as long as they can draw something from you—whether that be support, resources, emotional validation, or even just companionship to fill their loneliness.

When the winds shift—when you are no longer able to serve their need, or when someone else offers them more—they quietly, sometimes suddenly, drift away. The calls stop. The invitations fade. The connection, once buzzing with life, now falls into silence. And you realize, painfully, that what you thought was a friendship was only an arrangement of convenience.

This type of relationship is not new to the human condition. From ancient literature to modern psychology, people have observed the tendency of some to seek connection not for love but for gain. Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, even categorized friendships: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure, and friendships of virtue. Seasonal friendships almost always fall into the first category—utility. You are a means, not an end.