Just Friends

Can men and woman truly just be friends? This is a very popular question, one society has been experimenting with and debating for ages...

What do we mean by "friends"? Of coarse we can be friendly and kind to all people if we choose to. But close friends? Who hang out together, go do things together, have long talks about significant things together...? It has been my experience that if you are compatible in that you enjoy spending time with another person doing all of these things, then even if there is no physical connection in the beginning, one will eventually develop from one or both sides of the relationship. I have found this is true even if a friendship is defined from the beginning, there is no physical attraction, or one or the other person is in another significant relationship. It may take a very long time to happen but it is human nature and even the most well intentioned people run the risk of losing a close friendship if they become too intimately connected as "friends".

Now what about the romantic relationship that ends and one or both people want to continue to be "friends"? I think this is a nice idea and one would think that we should be able to do this. But usually a relationship ends because at least one person is no longer interested the other person. So, could this "friendship" idea really be just a one sided ego boost?
Again I think the definition of the word friend applies here too. And as I eluded to before, men and women are not designed to stifle the energetic draw between them, the pull of yin and yang if you will. That is why when a relationship ends it is unrealistic to think you will still be able to have the same kind of friendship relationship with one another and not get things confused.

So, while I definately don't have all the answers, and of coarse to each "rule" there is always the exception (gay men and straight women or vise versa, or related men and women, etc)... It is my opinion that while men and women can definately be friendly, it is unlikely they will be able to maintain for any length of time a truly close plutonic friendship; without one or the other or both becoming romantically interested.