Fausta has a funny little piece up about a business whose sole purpose is to rent friends, ostensibly, to the friendless. Fausta says, “The tough part about having friends is being a friend. Maybe that’s why so many people don’t have friends.”

Well, yes.

It can be a lot of work to be a friend. Many people don’t want to put in the effort. Many people don’t want to put up with the hassles. People, and their lives, can be messy, boring, frustrating and just plain lame.

This Rent-A-Friend concept is intriguing. So rather than fussing with some person with a boring, involved life-story, call up Joe and go to the movie. You hang out, talk about the movie, have some temporary company and then, boom, done. No sordid break-up stories. No diatribes against back waxing and Representative Massa. No queries into your grandma’s health. No enduring pictures of the kids, or worse, vacation.

Renting a friend seems like the perfect solution to so many problems. Seems kinda empty, still, though, right?

I mean, what kind of life does a person have, if they don’t have friends they can talk to and interact with and care about? Sure it takes time, but what is life about, if not the interactions and stories shared?

Still, I’m so curious about the people who volunteer to be a friend and for those who pay to have a friend. This is a fascinating social development.

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