When people think of conspiracies, they tend to think of the most off-the-wall things. Conspiracy theorists believe the Moon landings were a hoax, and that the CIA masterminded 9/11, causing the buildings to implode. Even this awful pandemic has resulted in a large range of conspiracy theories. Recently, my friend's partner died, and another friend's father died, both due to COVID-19. I have a particularly nice memory of my friend's father: we had to raise money for a field trip and we were $330 short. Our teacher informed us that the field trip was going to be cancelled due to not having raised enough money. His father stepped in at the last minute and wrote out a check for the remainder of the funds needed for our field trip. This pandemic is real, and I 100% believe the official versions of 9/11 and the lunar landings. I'm sitting here on my front veranda as I'm penning (or typing) this story...
The greatest conspiracy in the history of mankind isn't the lunar landings, 9/11, or COVID-19, but the theory of "drifting apart as friends." In reality, there is no such thing as friendships drifting apart. Friendships are only lost as a result of one doing something wrong to the other, such as stealing something, borrowing money and not paying it back, or sleeping with that friend's partner. Those are just a few examples of why friendships end. Continents drift apart, but friendships don't. That goes on to the next part of this topic: "the system."
The system basically teaches us that life comes in a box with a set of instructions. We're programmed to have babies and buy cars because that's what the system expects us to do. If we don't have a baby or a car, we're seen as outcasts (even if we're unable to drive or have a baby due to a medical condition). Everyone these days are so focused on producing more people when we don't seem to have enough time for the people who are already in our lives. One may wonder why I've always had a cynical attitude when it comes to babies, but as one of eight children, I realized how difficult it was for my mother. At one time, three of my siblings were in nappies (diapers) and she complained about having to change nine shitty nappies in one day. I've never wanted children to begin with, but the final straw was when my first girlfriend, Teressa (I've mentioned her many times in previous stories) wanted children. When I explained to her that I didn't want children, she asked me if another man could help her have a baby even though she wanted to remain my partner. In other words, she was asking me if she could have sex with another guy whilst still being my partner! I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want to lose her but that question really hurt. She threatened to leave me because I didn't want a baby, and I remember saying "would you walk away from me because I don't want to drive a Lexus?" It was made clear to me at the time that she wanted a baby more than she wanted me.
"Drifting apart as friends" is the greatest conspiracy that has ever been concocted. The system expects and hopes that friendships get ruined; the system wouldn't be able to survive if humans stopped having babies, buying cars, and chasing the dollar. The system doesn't care about the individual or about friendships; for the system, the more friendships that are ruined, the better.
If there's one thing this pandemic has really taught us, I think it's very important to value our friendships and those who are in our lives currently. At the end of the day, nobody truly drifts apart as friends. Sure, we may have a break from one another, and then pick up a conversation exactly where we left off. I encourage all of my friends to live each day, and think highly of those beloved friendships. I would encourage everybody, after reading this story, to call a friend whom you haven't spoken to in awhile and tell them how much you appreciate them...
