https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/why-we-lose-friends-aging-happiness/621305/
After reading this I sent the following text to the friend who shared it with me:
I value our friendship very highly. Our conversation in Venice about children being the purpose of life and only viable form of immortality eventually led me to rebuild my entire life around that. Now I spend all of my time with my kids and wife and am trying to have more. So far I think that was the right conclusion. But friends are super important too… One day my children will follow their biological imperative and lose interest in their parents. I don’t have as much time as I would like with my friends right now, but hopefully that time will grow in the future.