I had a friend in college who's friendship/life/success philosophy was basically "Make friends with people who are better than you so you can learn from them how to be better" and the older I get the more I realize how bullshit and gross that is?

It views friendship as something that needs to labor in order to have value. This person also conflated friendship and career/success all the time. They were also often unhappy, since they tied happiness to output -- a high grade, a successful project, a "good" career.

The way I move thru life, and the way I've always moved thru life naturally, is I'm just myself and I vibe with the people I vibe with. You meet people where they are, they meet you where you are, and you're just in the present together. I've found my best friends like this!

You don't have to ask more of friends than just their company and to be present with you. Presence is everything and it can mean different things to different people. You don't need to meet X requirements to be a friend, you just gotta Be (Present). Existing together is awesome!