The tired phrase “We’ve known each other a long time” is not a good reason to stay friends with someone.
In a way, you never end a friendship, the friendship fizzles out by itself – a slow, agonizing death.
It’s a thorn that has been pricking flesh for eons – testing family ties, business and ruling alliances.
So much, that Aristotle would pen a candid essay titled “On Friendships”, that tables a 3-pronged ‘friendship-meter’ system:
Pleasure Friendships:
This kind is fickle, superficial. These are the people in your gang – often meet up at the local for a fun drink or the mbogi that call you for the soccer derby.
This group will easily pool resources for an odd roadtrip out of town – but, not pool resources to pay a member’s hospital bill.
But, they hardly know your family, kids or what business you do – if you are in business.
If you don’t turn up for Karaoke Wednesday, and miss a couple more – they’ll move on without as much as a call.
Useful Friendships:
Well, this is based on material benefits. It may be work-based, same employer. It may be business-oriented, same business circles.
It’s loosely principled on money, special favors – perhaps, you work in a firm that offers periodic gifts or vouchers that someone leeches off.
This suffers a blow, when one of the parties is no longer as useful. Do not invest emotionally in it.
Virtuous Friendships:
It’s ideally grounded by a common desire for good, and prosperity. It’s all rounded – family, business – and often generational. College friendships may grow on, to form family-level bonds.
However, when the friendship cookie starts to crumble, it leaves a bigger emotional mess in its wake.
The secret for longevity lies in making efforts to nurture it. There are tell-tale signs, however, when a friendship has outran its viable phase.
Here are two common reasons most friendships die a slow death:
Social Status
Friendships are built around social circles. A promotion at work may come with a sudden change of income. A friend moves into an upscale neighborhood, hanging spots……
Slowly communication starts to fade and die out. Little effort is made to call, meet or share an evening as you used to.
If a friend starts to miss important family dates or events you previously marked, well – that’s a sign.
Communication
This is crucial in a friendship. Tight friends are usually up on each other’s call logs, social media timelines and frequent meet-up’s.
Theme nights are a thing – Karaoke, Fun Fridays….. then, it dies out.
When you try to call or chat, the other is busy, or driving, or cooking – and, can they call you later?
That ‘Call you Later, Bestie’ happens a few weeks down the line. You are alone in that friendship.
Well, it’s apparent that communication nurtures the bond in every friendship. It matters, too, how heavily friend banter weighs down on their respective budgets.
Presently, this needn’t bite to reach a fiend for some juicy grapevine – thanks to the timely Nyoosha Shilingi factor.
Communication is now much cheaper.
Nyoosha Shilingi is a brainchild of leading communication provider Safaricom to help their clients navigate harsh economic times with more on offer (calls and data) for the same amount.
Simply put, for the same price, Data, Calls and SMS offers are extended by between 40% and 100%.
Nyoosha Shilingi has made using Whatsapp, for audio and video calls a viable option. For offline friends, regular calls are asking for much less in billing.
For example, Safaricom has introduced All-in-One packages. There’s a choice of three. Well, say – Ksh550.
Initially, this would get 1.5GB+100 min+500 SMS+Free WhatsApp, but with the Nyoosha Shilingi rate, users now enjoy 2GB+100 min+500 SMS+Free WhatsApp.
More fun video calls for friends wishing to stay in touch.
The new data rates have hit really well with the youth, on daily, weekly and monthly bundle packages.
For example, the Daily bundle at Ksh10 now fetches 35MBs and 15 SMS, up from the previous 15MBs and 15 SMS. It also lasts longer!
On weekly data package rates, Ksh99 would fetch 350MB and Free WhatsApp but Nyoosha Shilingi presents an incredible 500MBs and Free WhatsApp!
The best on monthly packages is with Ksh1000 coming with 7GB+Free WhatsApp, up from the previous 5GB and Free WhatsApp.
Nyoosha Shilingi is available to all Safaricom users – Prepaid, Postpaid and Hybrid. It’s normal play in the purchase of the bundles, through Mpesa, airtime cards and redeeming Bonga Points.
There’s more on offer. Easily check the offers by dialing *544#, through My Safaricom App, Blaze App and official Safaricom website.
It’s time to indulge yourself by streaming your favorite series!
