The act of excluding someone seems to incorporate more energy than including someone. For example, let’s say we have a group of four girls. Three of the four girls wanted to go to the mall and ultimately enjoy a day out with their friends. Although, the “leftover” friend was hated amongst the group for no reason. They make the effort to make a group chat without the leftover friend and plan out ways they can attend the mall without her knowledge. This includes backbiting, waiting until she is no longer acquainted with them, discussing the hangout, lying, and trying to guarantee she won’t be at the same place at the same time as them. This requires time and energy to plan this out rather than just including their friend in the first place. 

The friend is then left sad for no reason. The so-called friends made an effort to make someone else’s life bitter. The next issue would be if the friend returned to their ill-intended friends. It is as if they are trying to save something that’s already dead. From experience, learning from your mistakes and choosing distance over hurt feelings is the best option. It also causes an annoyance inside of me when bad doings are left unsaid. This almost reminds me of the theme “never run from your fears” highly advocated for, in the movie Spirited Away. I would rather confront a friend and allow them to learn from their mistakes than continue tolerating their rude actions. 

The act of including someone takes much less effort than excluding someone. From observing friend groups I’ve noticed one of the main causes of exclusion is because the friend doesn’t fit their standard. This seems to be a societal problem and something I wish would go away. 

Friends should be of an accepting nature, people who make you happy. I see the most social and popular people be the most inclusive and kind-hearted. Accepting the differences of others and truly being kind without expecting anything in return with earn people the best rewards.