Friendship Never Dies, but Fades Away

16th, September, 2023, Daily English Writing #15

Revised and Refined by ChatGPT

This is a simple summary and a brief reflection on ‘BBC 6 Minute English: Making Male Friends .’

這是對《BBC 6 分鐘英語：結交男性朋友》的簡單摘要和反思。

According to Oxford University’s Institute of Cognitive Anthropology, how many close friends do people need to maintain their mental health? The answer is five. Five close friends can help us construct a core friendship circle, and another ten friends can build up a supporting network. A total of fifteen friends is essentially beneficial to our mental well-being.

根據牛津大學認知人類學研究所的研究，人類需要多少親近的朋友才能維持心理健康？答案是五個。五個親近的朋友可以幫助我們建立一個核心友誼圈，另外十個朋友可以構建一個支持網。總數十五個朋友會對我們的心理健康非常有益。

It’s often said that women possess better abilities than men when it comes to making and maintaining close friendships. In my opinion, females indeed excel at nurturing and sustaining these bonds. While I’m not an expert in statistics, I can offer an example from my own life.

常言道，女性在建立和維護緊密友情方面比男性更厲害。在我看來，女性確實在培育和維繫這些連接方面表現出色。雖然我不是統計專家，但我可以提供自己的例子。

Consider one of my female friends who frequently engages in various activities with her female companions. They explore local restaurants with exquisite decor and delightful cuisine, or they meticulously plan overseas trips. Life for them is vibrant and bathed in sunshine, mirroring the enduring nature of their friendship.

以我的一位女性朋友為例，她經常與女性朋友一起參加各種活動。她們探訪具有精緻裝飾和美味佳餚的本地餐廳，或者精心計劃海外旅行。對她們來說，生活充滿活力，彷彿洒滿陽光，反映了她們的恆久友誼。

In contrast, my experience with managing relationships tells a different story altogether. In the BBC podcast, the anchors introduced the term ‘drift away’ to describe how people gradually grow apart. This resonates with the path my friends and I have taken over the years — drifting until our connections have fractured. I can no longer accept this reality. In fact, two of my friends have drifted away from me, or more accurately, we’ve drifted apart.

相比之下，我在處理人際關系方面的經驗卻截然不同。在 BBC 播客中，主持人介紹了 ** 漸行漸遠 **（drift away）這個說法來描述人們是如何逐漸疏遠的。這與我和朋友們多年來走過的道路相符 — — 逐漸疏遠，直到我們之間斷開連結。這個現實簡直讓我難以承受。事實上，我的兩位朋友已經與我疏遠了，更準確地說，我們彼此漸行漸遠。

Author Max Dickins was the creative force behind ‘Billy No-Mates,’ a book with a title that evokes mixed reactions. People either love his writing or find it unpalatable. According to the podcast, Max is an outgoing, friendly and extroverted individual who relishes meeting new people. Loneliness shouldn’t have been a challenge for him. However, the absence of a best man at his wedding gave birth to this remarkable book. It’s a captivating twist, isn’t it?

作家馬克斯・狄金斯（Max Dickins）是《Billy No-Mates》的作者，他用這個可能引發不同反應的俚語作為書的標題。人們要麼喜歡他的寫作，不然就是這本書令人不快。根據播客的介紹，馬克斯是一個外向、友善和開朗的人，喜歡結交朋友。他不太可能經歷孤獨的艱難時光。然而，婚禮上缺乏伴郎這一經歷促使他寫下了這本書。引人入勝，不是嗎？

In conclusion, while the saying goes, ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed,’ I’d propose a slight alteration: ‘friendship never dies, it just fades away.’

總結一下，儘管有一句古話說「患難見真情」，但我更想改編一下：「友情不死，只是凋零。」

Today’s progress

1. Daily writing: overall 7/10, ChatGPT gave me a B on a GPA scale
2. Touch-typing practice