Old Friends and Old Memories

Why is it that I after so long still care for old friends who don't seem to care for me? Probably more than one person has this feeling.

After knowing a person for a couple of years, in my case 8 years, you expect these people to have some respect, even, if I dare say, have some love for you. Taking into account that most of the time spent together was as friends, it is completely reasonable to expect things such as occasional chit chat or, at least, a comment on facebook. But no, the answer to this friendship is silence.

Why is that so? Why silence? If you dislike my intention of keeping the friendship alive, than let me know and I'll stop trying to write. But why answer with silence? Are people so afraid to admit to others that they don't like them anymore? Even after so many years of "friendship".

I have always felt that friends are a complicated issue. I can pass a long time without talking to a friend, and when we meet again, it is like time has not passed between us. Or, at least, this is what I feel with my closes friends. So, does this mean that the others, who don't feel the same way, stop being friends?

I'm not even touching the subject of ex-friends, I'm talking about good friends in the past that suddenly just don't talk to you anymore for no known reason. What is the solution to this problem? I've seen many, and don't like any of them.

Option 1: degrating yourself, and trying to get this person's attention at any cost, aka getting desperate.
Option 2: ignoring them back, and wait to see if at some point, that person will write back, aka stop caring.
Option 3: try talking it over with the person, even through a message, to see what is going on, aka communicating.

I must admit sadly that I've tried them all. I've ignored back, which didn't work, because you just end up never getting answered, and you'll probably stop given a damn or care more. I've also gotten crazy needy and tried talking to the person, apologizing if I hurt their feelings for any reason and maybe that is why they don't talk back... This option did actually work to get their attention, and I used that opportunity to meet with the person and tried to communicate about what was wrong. The shitty part is that the person insisted he/she was fine, and was not angry, just busy sometimes and forgets to write.

Of course, it is a valide excuse, and you respect it since you are pretty fucking busy too. But what happens if the not answering continuous to years and not months?

I have not heard of this person in 2 years. I tried writing maybe once or twice last year, and no answer. I kinda got nostalgia going on now, and I just tried written for the first time this year. Lets see what happens.

Thou I still find this to be the most sad situation you could ever encounter with a person you considered a good friend. Distances is a bitch.