In this digital age, I have made only one online friend from a neighboring country India. I have always wanted to see the world beyond our borders. Since childhood, I had a pressing desire to visit India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
I made a friend out of curiosity and she is someone who has remained my online friend since 2019.Though I have never been able to meet her in person. To meet my online friend would require crossing the border, and right now, I don't have enough resources, and i also think that obtaining a visa for India would take a lot of patience and time. May be it has fewer chances than the other countries. Still, it is not impossible. I would visit India one day to see historical landmarks and to meet my friend.
My friendship with this person developed due to a number of shared commonalities. The fact is, my ancestors migrated from a specific place in India to this area of Sheikhupura.Similarly, her ancestors had migrated from Sheikhupura to the exact same village where my own ancestors once lived. This point became a sinking point to become friends.
I was very curious to know what people in India thought about Pakistan. This was right after I had finished my Intermediate exams, during the COVID-19 period, when I used to watch Indian dramas with great love. That is why I wanted to talk to people from India. I had also just started using Instagram so this was one of my very first interactions on the platform. We became friends after a lot of time, and we remain good friends to this day as we are still in touch.
Beyond this friendship, I don't really consider anyone an "online friend" in the true sense. While I might say I have a good acquaintance with some of them, I wouldn't call them friends. True friends are the people with whom I share actual memories. Thsse are the people with whom I’ve traveled or spent quality time. After all, the content we consume on mobile screens these days is often mindless and brain rotting. it doesn't give genuine memories, and also it doesn’t involve any real personal experience or emotional connection. That is why heartfelt, human connections could be easily found in mobile-based interactions.
Friendship is a true treasure and a lived experience and it's an essential part of life( I want to say so much beautiful about Friendship). It is not merely about sitting before a mobile screen, scrolling, chatting, or sharing reels. it goes far beyond that.
True friendship involves sharing the little details of your life and sitting down to share a meal together. In fact, I believe friendship truly begins when you share a meal with someone because dining table is a place where you exchange stories and share your manners.
There are many times when you need a friend's shoulder to cry on in the moments of stress and despair. And also one wants his friend to be in person available to hug in many situations. With online friends, you certainly cannot share a shoulder to cry. You can only talk, and they can offer comfort via mobile screen. That is why I do not believe online friendships have much of a future.
