One thing that I've learnt in life is that people change. Most times, this change is accelerated by money and power.
I've had a friend who changed after getting a good amount of money. We were really close from the onset. Went through tough times. He was an amazing friend.
Fortunately for him, he hit it big. I was happy for him, and I still am. Over the next couple of months, he slowly got distant and all of a sudden, it was obvious we were like strangers.
As much as it saddened me, I took it as part of life. People come into our lives and leave as well. Very few stay till the end. We come across people that would help us, some people teach us lessons, some give us good memories. It all contributes to our growth.
I am someone who holds no grudge against anyone for such thing. Rather, I'm happy when my friends become financially better, even if they start being distant.
This doesn't mean I am defending the act of people changing when they get money. Most people won't take it well if their friend whom they've been through a lot with starts becoming distant.
A lot of people would take it personally and they would hold a grudge or stop communication with that person. I won't blame them. We're all humans and such a thing can be painful.
There's another angle to this. People usually get along when they are in the same level. If one person's status changes, whether financially, politically, or socioeconomically, the friendship will likely experience a change and a possible strain, except both parties intentionally put in the work to ensure that their friendship doesn't change.
Friends that keep their friendship the same even when one person's status changes are phenomenal.
Another thing is that some friends who improve in their status try to bring the other person up. They try to help them find a good job, introduce them to what made them rich, or share opportunities. This is what it means to be intentional about friendships. While this is not an obligation, it's a commendable act towards maintaining a beautiful friendship.
In conclusion, people just have to accept the fact that nothing in life is permanent, and that includes friendships. If someone changes, we move on and make more friendships. That is the beauty of life. People come and people go, even if we may not like it.
