Personal Philosophy

When I was younger I was hung out with this one girl all the time, she was funny and popular at her school. My mom never liked her much, because she yelled a lot and said rude things sometimes. One day, after me and her had hung out for 6 hours straight annoying my older sister and just being loud in general, my mom said that her dad was here to pick her up. “Throw a fit.” She whispered to me. I looked at her quizzically but agreed because I didn’t want her to think I was a loser. So I stuck out my lip, “NO!” I screamed then started to roll on the floor, “I WANT HER TO SLEEPOVER! LET HER SLEEPOVER! I HATE YOU!” I felt horrible saying this to my mom who is always so lenient on having friends over. When I got up from the floor, her face was sad and full of remorse. Later I told her what my friend had told me to do and she talked to me about peer pressure and how I probably need a break from her.

      Ever since then my personal philosophy has been that there’s a time for friends and a time for solitude. I think that everyone needs space to be alone and really think about things without any influence from others. Some believe they need people around them at all times but I think that can actually be harmful to a person’s individuality and personality. The longer you spend time with one or more pals the more you become like them and less like yourself. When I cling to one friend for too long I start talking like them and acting like them, I lose who I really am. This can be catastrophic if the person you’re clinging to is not a good role model. For example, if your friends were doing drugs and you hung out with them a lot subsequently you will be more likely to join them. This is where the concept of peer pressure comes from; you can’t live through someone else’s life especially if it’s a bad one.

      I’m not saying that hanging out with friends is a bad thing at all!   In fact, it’s almost essential to living. Being unsocial and lonely can lead to many things...