Breaking up

In romantic relationships there are many acceptable reasons, why break up with someone. If your temperaments are not compatible, if you have nothing in common or nothing to talk about, if you don't really like the other anymore, if you have different expectations... In friendships, however, there are no such excuses. Once you form a friendship, you are expected to stay in it. Unless a serious betrayal has taken place, there is no accepted way to end relations. Either the friendship fades away(you just don't see each other that often, or you are too busy) or you stay friends.. If you are friends with someone for a really long time, it is natural that you become different people than who you were. That is a part of growing up:-) But suddenly you are so different that you probably wouldn't become friends if you met right now instead of years ago. The most problematic part is that both parties involved don't really acknowledge the change that has happened during the past years and still expect the other to be the same as before. When they're not, they feel cheated.. Is there a way to prevent that? Can we end relationships of any kind easily and forever like pulling off a band aid? Should we end friendships at all? Shouldn't we try to look at the person in front of us rather than see the person that we knew several years back? Should people try to be in a friendship with someone significantly different? Is it enriching or annoying?