Friends before Lovers?

Do you think it's better to be friends first then lovers or is it completely possible to be lovers right off the bat? I always used to think that it was impossible to be with someone unless I were friends with them first. This is probably only how a naive young person thinks because the idea of being with a stranger is frightening and somewhat unheard of in childhood. As I grow older, I come to realize that it is possible to have a healthy relationship with someone that you have not known for an extensive amount of time. However, I still believe that being friends with someone first is a good way to start any relationship. When you meet someone for the first time, you feel awkward and somewhat uneasy.. imagine if meeting them for the first time (or even second) was on a date between just the two of you. I just think it's easier to start off friends then progress into lovers. But then again, the first time meeting them may not be awkward and uneasy and you could hit it off right away. I guess it all depends. If you go straight from strangers to lovers you have nothing to fall back on when the relationship ends. This is because you were never in the friends stage and don't know how to be friends with that person. When you are friends with someone first, you see who they are as a person. You see who they really are. They aren't putting up a façade to impress you because you are only friends at the moment. You aren't blinded by love (yet) and can see clearly. You also have a greater chance of falling back into the friends stage when the relationship ends. But again, this all depends..