Policy, Respect, and Disintegration
When I was a teenager, I didn’t realize that my epiphany was already a cliche: “Being a good friend means that you support someone when they’re having a hard time!”
Later, I thought it was sophisticated when a friend pointed out: “It’s obvious when someone’s crying that they need our support; but a good friend can laugh with you, too!” I updated my friendship ideology accordingly.
At the same time, being a Grown Up in our modern world was making clear something more mundane: a good friend can handle it when you disagree.