A fact of life: people change, not always for good and not always for bad. We have all seen our close friends turn into “one of those kids” and we have seen our friends turn into some of the nicest people with the best reputations around. There is no stop button in the direction of change; you are always going either one way or another, towards being a better person or a worse one.
There are people in our lives who affect which direction we are changing, obviously we have our families that for the most part, pull us in the right direction. We have our teachers who will also push us in the right direction. But everyone knows that these are not what influence us the most. I have to say that our peers definitely affect us the most at this time in our lives. I know that I look to my friends as examples on how to dress and act. I don’t mean to sound like I copy my friends; I am just saying that when a friend of mine has an admirable quality, a fun personality, a cute style and so forth, it makes me want to have it too. So I guess you could say that I take all the things I like about my friends or all the things that make life good for them and squash them together to make me. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that most people do this too.
The problem with this is different people like different things about other people. Say that a friend has a quality that you admire because they look cool or everybody knows them because of it, but it is something frowned on by society unbeknownst to you, and then you want to be like them so you try to apply that quality to yourself, now we have two people with a bad quality influencing their friends in bad ways. It can go the other way too, someone has a good quality and then a few of their friends take on the quality and you have more good people. In this way people are constantly changing, by influencing and being influenced by other people.
Another way that people are influenced is by example, and not necessarily good example. If someone is actively trying to be a better person, then they can learn from example in two ways, the first is by good examples, and the second is by bad. I have learned not only from the good people in my life but also from the ones that made bad choices. I know people who were happy and then started on a bad path and are now unhappy, I now know from observation how to not accidentally get on that bad path. We learn from the bad people what NOT to do to be better people. I think this applies to everyone except for those who are trying to be bad, and in their case I see no purpose in them doing so.
“I do believe I have been changed for the better, because I knew you.”- Wicked
If that could be said about all of us, what would the world be like?
** I have heard from a lot of people that my blogs are “really serious” and “make you look like you have no fun.” I guess that they are, but I want everyone to know that the topics for my blogs are things that I think about when I am on my own, the things that I explore in my mind when I am in a thoughtful mood. Please don’t think that I go around school and discuss philosophical questions with my friends, except with a choice few who also have lots of things going on inside their minds. I like to do other things than ponder the mysteries of mankind. **
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These are my cats, Toby is the orange one and Misty is the Gray one. Pretty cute eh?
Here is where my life and ideas become public. To put it simply, this blog is my brains overflow zone. Sometimes it won't make sense, sometimes it will be bizarre, but it's me :D
A little about me...
My Cats
These are my cats, Toby is the orange one and Misty is the Gray one. Pretty cute eh?
Some really cool websites
My Favorite Quotes
- "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
- "Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?"
- "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all."
- "If you work on a lobster boat, sneaking up behind someone and pinching him is probably a joke that gets old real fast."
- "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
- "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."
- "He who laughs last didn't get it."
- "The ultimate sign of maturity is knowing just how immature you really are."
- "People forget how fast you did a job - but they remember how well you did it."
- "A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby
4 comments:
Wow Starchild! This was a good topic, or at least I thought so! Peers definitely affect you the most!
That was great Starchild! People do change. I hate it when people change for the worse becuase they are trying to imitate someone. I think that you should try to just be you becuase no one else can but try to improve yourself, not change yourself totally.
This was a good topic but I must say, when people change it's not always to the good side or to the bad. If someone changes their favorite food or movie or sport who's to say that it was for the better or for the worse? It's not just a black and white thing. And sometimes you change friends for other reasons than just the fact that they change. When you're 5 you become best friends with somebody because you have the same shoes, but that friendship won't last because it's based on such a small thing. I did think that you made a good point about how peers are our biggest influence. Also , I agree that people can change for the worse or better without even knowing it. One thing that I was wondering was what you meant by this "A quality that someone admires about their friend may be something frowned on by society, and then if the friend tries to imitate that quality because they like it then you have two bad people influencing their friends in bad ways" I was a little confused on what you meant. Nicely done, you made your point very well!
You know your blogs matter if you get lots of comments about them (either in person or in this space). Your blogs are thoughtful and reflective, and that's the way they should be. Don't change just because people say you seem so serious -- that's part of what keeps everyone coming back to read them. Most people your age struggle to keep a note of seriousness and/or maturity in their writing, and many of us envy your ability to find profound little nuggets of thought in everyday life. Keep it up! You're doing just fine, Starchild!
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