Oddbean

Someone who may or may not be an enemy at a different point in time. So a friend is someone who more or less aligns with you at that specific moment. ((I would say this excludes true (best) friendship, which is based on decades of sustain. Even if your views don't align mostly, you can still get along thanks to a solid foundation and memories. I'm happy I'm blessed with a few of those)) That said, the weaker minded a friend is, or the more desperate his situation is, the easier he would turn on you.

I do not distrust those that I consider as my friends, no. I'm just saying, as became apparent during times of covid for example, how effective the narrative was and how easily it destroyed many friendships and relationships. I'll give you this example, a mother/son relationship is stronger than regular friendship right, at least on the mother's side lol. And yet a buddy of mine was shunned by his own mother because he refused to get vaxxed. Wasn't allowed to enter her house anymore. If even a mother rejects her own child, a standard friend is definitely capable of rejecting your friendship. That's also why I brought up the weak minded part, if you don't have a proper grasp on reality, your value as a friend is highly situational and fleeting.