[joncrane]

I think there's a lot of nuance.

I am more toward your situation (grew up in multiple countries and, as things evolve over time, my closest friend group is a group of guys who used to skateboard together on the streets of San Jose Costa Rica) and remain excellent friends with many people from my past, and some I have not seen in person in many years. Maybe I'm fooling myself.

However, I feel like most people aren't like that, and if I care about advancing my career, I have to think more like OP and less like you and me.