In this post, I claim that if you are not satisfied with your current friends, you have to ditch them in order to find better ones. Well, I don't think so anymore, and here is why...
Because humans are social animals, it would be irrational for one to choose loneliness over virtue. A rational human being would always seek to satisfy their human needs. When you try to ignore your needs, you are trying to be more than human; you are ignoring your genetic limitations. You become a believer, and you are no better than a religious person. When you begin to value virtue more than you value yourself, you become an idealist. Moral standards are there to help you pick who to associate with. Moral standards are there to help you socialize. If they become a handicap to your social life, they are no longer serving their purpose, but rather working against it. It's like a person whose knowledge of nutrition is making him starve to death.
If you can't get what you want, you can at least settle for what's best on the market. You don't have to lower your moral standards in order to have friends; just keep a clear mind, always be on the lookout for someone better. Don't try to fool yourself that your flawed friends are perfect; be aware of their moral flaws, be honest about your fundamental disagreements with them. That way you won't get trapped in a Master-Slave relationship.
If you state your preferences and you're clear about what you like and dislike about each other, you're going to have a stress-free relationship with that person. Sometimes new friends are not compatible with old friends. If you can't have both at the same time, then prioritize. It doesn't matter how long you've been friends for. You don't say that about your old TV when you buy a new flat-screen HDTV. Keep sentimentality out of the way, look for value. Who is more valuable to you? Whose company do you enjoy more? Who do you feel more comfortable with? Who provides more predictability to you? If you find yourself torn between two (groups of) people, you'd better make that choice and reject one side. The choice should be between your current friends and new people, not between the former and loneliness.
