Just to put my two cents in this...
Friendship isn't about putting people on a pedastal, indeed. It's about sharing and caring, to a degree that depends on the person you're relating to. And respecting each other, which is very different from glorifying someone.
Reading your thoughts makes me wonder what kind of friendships you've witnessed/experienced...I'm not saying you're wrong, because I also used to feel really jaded and discouraged about interpersonal relationships in the past, especially after getting to know and then parting ways with people who didn't have a positive effect on me in the long run, but thankfully I've moved on from that.
One thing that's for sure is that no one, friends or not, can always save you from yourself. Your first and most important friend is you. You can't find solace in other humans if you don't have at least a decent relationship with yourself, your past, your fears and whatnot...And you can't rely completely on them, because people can't read minds and can't always be there for you - they may have their own lives, their own selves to tend to, from time to time. That's why sometimes people grow apart; forever is a long time but some people can be essential for as long as they stay.
That doesn't mean you have to settle for random or unsatisfying people, of course; just try and be a little less biased about this, because that's what comes across from what you say and how you say it.
(So many "people" in this post, oh well)