Someone addressed me as "Friend"

Now if there is something that confuses me more than most anything else on a normal day, it's when someone that I hardly know or that rarely sees or talks to me says, "Hi friend!" Okay, WTF? I hear this and then I just stand there and wonder what the hell just happened. I mean, doesn't the concept of "friend" or the understanding of "friend" mean that there has to be time where people hang out together and actually get to know one another? Or is this term just thrown about like a rag doll or a rope chew toy for a dog? I wonder if the word "friend" is just used to give the deliverer a false sense of doing the right thing or the feeling of being someone who accepts others.

I think that an early age we are setting our kids up for false expectations when we say to a group of small children, "Now cooperate with our friends" or "Say good morning to all of our friends." Really? Is that the reality of the world that everyone is friends with one another? Or, is the reality that we actually don't get along with everyone who comes across our path? I would have to take an educated guess, from living life, and say that not everyone is my "friend." Nor, am I everyone's "friend." Therefore, I will not walk up to someone who I do not talk to on a regular basis or even ever hang out with and say "Hi friend!" As I force a fake smile. Rather, I would prefer to just say "Hi Bob," or "Hi Jane."

So I think it is more realistic and responsible that we teach our kids that they will not get along with everyone. This is life. This is the reality of the world we live in today. I am not saying that I wouldn't strive for a world where people and nations don't get along, but even still, getting along doesn't mean that we are necessarily "friends." I could get along with my co-workers, but we don't have to be "friends."

With that said, I just want to ask one thing of you Mr. or Mrs. Stranger or Acquaintance. Please do not call me "Friend" if we do not talk on the phone or see each other in person from time to time and actually share quality time and/or conversation. Just say "Hi Eric." Addressing me by my first name is perfectly fine. That will not irritate, frustrate, or irk me.

And then...