Since the elementary school days, it has been ingrained in our minds that we must be friends with everyone; from the boy that pushed you down on the playground to the girl who "accidentally" stuck gum in your hair. While this might have kept us amiable in our younger years, it's time to realize the truth: you don't have to be friends with everyone, because you simply can't. It's not possible. Let's all stop trying to achieve this ideal and exercise your power to surround ourselves with the best of people. While everyone has their own set of traits that they look for in a friend, I find that these characteristics are utterly viable reasons to not associate with someone...
- They're Close-Minded: Everyone is entitled to their opinion and their beliefs, but you can't be a friend or a functioning member of society if you can't accept others for their different opinions. I've found that those who think differently than me are the most fascinating, and they have molded and altered and sometimes strengthened my opinions for the better. Close-minded friends probably won't help you grow as a person, because they haven't been able to grow themselves. Their narrow scopes lead you to hold back when you're around them to avoid arguments and judgment.
- They Only Talk About Themselves: I really don't mind if you talk about yourself. Really, I don't. I actually enjoy hearing about your life and your passions and hopes and dreams, but I don't particularly like when you turn every conversation into one about yourself. I understand that there will be days when both you and I need to talk about ourselves to just get it out, but I would like for the majority of our talks to have equal contribution from the two of us. Some folks will continue to discuss their lives to no end, and that's okay, but I probably won't hang out with you.
- They're One-Uppers: I'm pretty positive that no one enjoys a one-upper. You know the type... you tell them about how you met someone great and they asked you to coffee, and the one-upper laments on how they can't leave their house without being asked on a date. Congratulations, that's really great for you, but you could try to be happy for me for a moment while you think in your head about how desirable you are.
- They Talk Bad About Everyone: While it's not a nice thing to do, we all enjoy meaningless gossip with our best friends to give ourselves a little ego boost. However, when you have some petty rude comment to say about everyone, from the people that you're allegedly friends with to the stranger who just walked by, we can't be friends. You're just being mean at that point, and you're probably talking about me with other people. I don't play that game, and you shouldn't either.
- They Like the Things You Hate: This might be shallow, but I don't think you should have to be friends with people who enjoy what you despise, whether it be people or things. I don't mind having disagreements on certain things, but I feel that true friends stick by your side on things that really put you out. If some girl calls you fat on the Internet for no reason, your friends should hate her. That's how I feel about it, and you can agree to disagree.
- They Use Poor Grammar: Whenever you see someone use "your" where it should be "you're," you automatically don't want to be friends with them, am I right? That might be more of a personal pet peeve, but you should want somewhat intelligent friends.
- They Consistently Make You Feel Awful About Yourself: Friends are there to build you up, not tear you down. I don't care what obligation you feel to be friends with someone, if they make you feel awful about yourself, you need to cut them out of your life and hold tight to the ones who realize how fantastic you are.
You will likely remain close to your college friends for years to come, so make sure you choose the best ones possible. If you have any of your own friendship deal-breakers, let me hear about them in the comments below.