What are friends for?

Foreword: There are far too many issues in the world, but I will pick the first one I think of in this moment. It's not the most important to me, but I'll enjoy writing it.

What are friends for? A common phrase, a rhetorical question. But what, really, are friends for? What is a friend's role in his or her friends life? In my experience with friends, I'll tell you what I've learned personally. Your best friend is someone who will hang out with you on the weekends; someone who likes similar things as you; someone who you can laugh with. But don't be fooled by television shows like "The Golden Girls" where friends are always there for each other when they need them the most. Shows like this make it seem like friends should be there for emotional support when they go through rough times. This is not necessary. If your friend is dealing with a difficult time in their life, just ignore it. Don't bother asking how they are or giving them advice. This puts too much pressure on you. Friendships should be something happy and superificial, not truly meaningful; that takes away all the fun of it. The best thing to do is just let them get over by themselves; they will still come crawling back to you because they have no one else. You should be focused on how great your own life is; it would be selfish for them to bring you down with their crying and pessimism. The lesson I've learned through personally experience is simply this: don't be fooled by what you see in the media, friendship is something for the surface, nothing deeper.