Friendship loses its soul if it only seeks utility

Professional networks invite you to cultivate useful relationships. There is nothing wrong with collaborating, recommending, or sharing opportunities. The problem begins when the person disappears behind what they can provide. Friendship is born when you take an interest in a life even when it does not improve your position. You remember a concern without needing a favor, celebrate a success that does not benefit you, and remain when their influence wanes. You can also receive help from a friend without polluting the bond. The difference lies in the dominant logic: calculated exchange or mutual goodwill. Reviewing it requires observing whom you stop calling when it is no longer convenient. Treating someone as an end restores humanity to relationships that the environment easily turns into strategy.