E Tu Brute?

Old Discarded Friend
Mt. Pleasant, TX

At best I had a restless night of sleep after watching the movie The Social Network.  The velocity of the opening dialogue kept you on the edge of your seat.  You could see from the onset that the main character, while a genius, had no emotional IQ.  The character was so driven and obsessed with succeeding that he was completely insensitive to any of the needs of others.


What became clear early on was that he was so focused on himself that he could not truly be a friend.  He had no means to emotionally reciprocate friendship.  The bottom line is this there are some people out there that you can't be friends with.  They simply cannot give you back anything; they are dysfunctional sponges that absorb from you but they can't be squeezed when you need something back.  They do not see the consequences of their actions nor do they care.


Quite frankly I find that way of being truly amazing.  I can't imagine a life void of at least a few good friends.  True friends stick by you in good and bad times.  They support you and enrich your life and encourage your dreams.  True friends do not question your integrity or your intentions.  Friends help each other out.


Many of you know that I worked for a steel company.  The biggest lesson that I learned was that in order to insure safety, we had to be responsible for each other.  One of my favorite images that I shot while at that company was of two employees kneeling side by side in front of the furnace peering in.  You could tell that each had the other's back.  Their partnership insured the other's well being.  That image remains etched in my head.


The betrayal of friendship and trust is a harsh reality.  Shakespeare captures the ultimate betrayal since Judas betrayed Jesus, in dramatic portrayal of Julius Caesar.  In the final scenes a wounded Caesar cast his eyes on his friend Brutus and says "e tu Brue?"  You too Brutus?  


Don't betray your friends.  Stand by them.  There will come a time that you will need them too.  We all need good friends.  Nurture your friendships and cultivate them.  Don't let things get in the way.  Let go of your ego and insecurities that keep you from being a better friend.  The difference between friends and family is very simple;  you can't choose your family but you can choose your friends.  Reach out to a friend and enrich your life.