No New Friends: Are We Shortchanging Ourselves?

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Clutch magazine's Alisha Tillery asks whether people who say, "No thanks, I'm good" to making new connections are missing out.

Listening to the radio yesterday, I heard DJ Khaled's latest song, "No New Friends," featuring our favorite go-to guy for hooks, Drake. I tried my best to listen with a musical ear (not possible), but I kept it on long enough to notice some things: (1) It was inspired by and uses a sample from Drake's "Started From the Bottom" [No new n****, we don't feel that…Where your real friends at?] and (2) people aren't taking applications for homies anymore. They just aren't letting random newbies come along for the ride. Makes sense …

A couple of years ago, during a Housewives of Atlanta reunion, Nene Leakes was asked if she and Kim Zolciak could make amends of their broken bond, she replied, "No thanks, I'm good on friends" …

So, though I understand the logical side, I wonder if we're shortchanging ourselves when we practice this "no new friends" mantra. What if you don't live in the same place as your friends? What happens when you outgrow your bestie (it can happen) or there's an irreparable rift in a friendship? Do you just shut your life down?

Read Alisha Tillery's entire piece at Clutch magazine.

The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

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