The Economics of Friendship (s)

 Prologue- All ye friends reading it, just in case you're wondering, it's my way of glorifying the bond we share. Please don't file a defamation suit against me.

Friendship.A sweet 10-letter word , easy to buy and well easier to sell.A word that'll spam your inboxes and festoon your Instagram stories a couple of weeks from now in August if I'm not mistaken. The capital market may be incurring losses but this sprawling friendship market almost always has a trade surplus.GFP has witnessed a growth like never before.Maybe just on the balance sheet but nevertheless facts remain unchanged. Not because the value of the commodity increased but maybe just maybe because of the base effect.

As I sit and take pleasure in doing what I'm doing, I see yet another example. 

On the left ,you see 2 red-whiskered bulbuls and on the right 4 worm-eaters( or so I call them given that I'm not using binoculars and my glasses aren't quite pleased with me [not to mention that they can sense imminent replacement]).Anyways,these are socialising (in the literal sense of the word) with likes.Why can't bulbuls socialise with worm-eaters? Ever-wondered? Well I did because I saw it as a possibility but very soon a crow spoke some sense into me and I realised it just disrupts the status quo and I'd have loved it but let's not challenge the nature of things . Also Yash said something pretty non-chalantly and I'll quote this intellectual -" Why'd bulbuls socialise with WORMEATERS?" Yes,add a pinch of disparaging tone there. Socialise with likes , is what I learnt. Yes, it's important for a trade surplus every year.Now let's see what people have to say about this so very tangible word.I asked X( privacy concerns) and she gave me a textbook definition I guess - " Whoever is there for you when you need them" .And I said okay but with a dubious smile.I asked Y and she described her best friend who's apparently the first one to wish on her birthday every year and I again said okay but not without laughing.Well apparently this best friend wasn't around when Y needed her(so X stands displeased) but she's The Best Friend and for the sake of tags ,I can't challenge it.See what Z had to say. He said somebody you could have fun with and I said fine (not that I was convinced). Pardon my french but this nutjob I asked (she's a friend and let's call her F) said- " Somebody who accepts whatever you throw at them and loves you nonetheless".For a fleeting moment,I entertained the thought of bespattering her with the coke I held but then was nice enough to let go. Flat-smiled her highly deluded self off( and yes she didn't mind) .Tired of their dry responses , I asked a rather scientific question then and yes I'll quote myself- " Do you think time is directly proportional to the commodity in question?" At the other end of the question was A and she said no and I think I quoted Jane Austen following that. I asked M and D and both said no. Come on Austen, I'm winning you a lot of friends .A lot of people gave me a lot of definitions . Now do me a favour and ask yourself these 2 questions(and use the indicators that I've derived following some serious dedicated research )and apologies (in anticipation ) if I've distorted the meaning of the word for you .If you get a positive score ,please do care to hit their phone up and thank me later for the positive externalities of my write-up.Also, don't forget to consider your followers list on whatever social media platform lest it may lead to overestimation/underestimation of the GFP. Plus,don't let Samwise Gamgee and the Scooby gang and Doctor Who brainwash you (like I was).That's just not how the economics of friendship works.

Epilogue- Well, thank you to all these people whose security I thought might be threatened so I refrained from using their names(scoffs). If you disagreed a lot with the determinants, then I think we're sailing in the same ship and you might just happen to know me.