Work Place Relationships

I have believed for quite some time now the necessity of maintaining work relationships that are professional rather than friendships. There are many who would not entirely agree with this. I consider it a distraction when co-workers have their alliances and "clicks". Hey, we are not in junior high school anymore. It's okay to maintain friendly relations with co-workers but that does not mean you have to be friends. When you share too much personal information it alters the perceptions and interactions with colleagues.Also, I have observed that loyalties get in the way when you need to address work issues.I have experienced occasional differences of opinion with office mates and if they had been my "friend" it would have been more difficult to express a dissenting opinion because I would be worried about hurting their feelings or worry they wouldn't like me anymore. It just complicates things. I do not really know if people I work with consider me aloof or distant. Perhaps they may only view me as a private person. Frankly, I just want to go to work every day and do my job.It's perfectly normal to ask "how was your weekend?" but after a brief exchange I want to resume my tasks. Recently at my office a couple of incidents occurred which reinforced my point of view. Several people were planning a going away party for a colleague who had accepted another position and was planning to move on. Naturally, we were all sad when we heard the news and began to talk about and make plans to have a get together. When the discussion came to picking a date there were several considerations of when the honoree would be available and when would most people be able to attend. We posted a sign up sheet so people could pick one of the dates which seemed fair. One of my co-workers became insistent that we change the date to accommodate her plans to be away. Meanwhile,at least 10 people had signed up for a specific date which did not conform to her needs and plans. Rather than let this go she grew from assertive to aggressive and got in some one's face and apparently it became ugly. Not only did this cause hard feelings, the boss had to get involved and so did the person who the party was for.This conflict swept thru the office by the next day. The rest of the staff became so incensed that it effected the emotional climate of the whole office. I could go on about the details of this but basically there were a few people trying to do a nice thing by planning a party and this one co-worker basically ruined it and took the joy right out of it. Needless to say we were all distracted away from the fact we were loosing a respected and valued colleague and instead felt anger towards this rather offensive and self-absorbed co-worker. It made me sick. I didn't want to be there the day this all hit the fan. Working relationships are complex. Most people are well meaning and genuine with sharing and caring that's the positive aspect but unfortunately there can be a down side. The person in question has also done several other things and her reputation has gone from difficult to deal with to f 'in nuts. Sadly, she has no insight about how her behavior effects others and still doesn't think she did anything wrong. This is why I want to just show up for work and do my job. That is why they call it "work". If it seems this is a bit of a rant it probably is but it only served to reinforce why I choose to leave at the end of the day and that is when my life starts. I do not feel I need to get my personal needs met at my job.