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What Changes us - Caroline Tucker

 I am very confident that I can correctly assume that growing up we all were told to be careful of who we surround ourselves with. This is something we hear both at home and in the church. We even hear Socrates mention it a couple of times.

Socrates mentions the impact of good and bad company multiple times through out The Republic. The time that coincides with this particular blog assignment is in book VIII when it is said “The son is drawn once again to the same bad companions. He meets them clandestinely, and a whole new brood of desires is hatched” (Plato, 151). My entire life my parents have been invested in my friendships, always asking about my friends and how the relationship is going. Looking back at my life I realized that there were some friendships I had which were not completely healthy for me. I am so grateful that my parents would watch those friendships carefully but would let me make the decision to end the friendship if I wanted to. Thankfully, my parents trained me well and I eventually realized that those friendships were bad for me and they were changing me in a way I did not want to go.

We are all influenced by what we are around. It could be anything from music, tv, book, and people. This is why it is so important to be aware of the people and things that influence you. All throughout the Bible it is mentioned the importance of your companions. In Proverbs it says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Prov. 13:20). The Bible stresses the importance of keeping good company. The people around you can change you for good or for bad. This is not to say that you cannot be friends with people who could influence you in a bad way. We just have to be carful not to let them influence us but rather let us influence them.

One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Jay Strack at Student Leadership University 101 and I think it is very important to this post. The quote is “You will be the same person five years from now except for the books you read, the places you go, the people you meet, and what you memorize.” This quote is a great place to conclude. This quote encompasses the importance of the things you surround yourself with. These things will change you. They can either change you for the better or for the worse. 

P.s. I commented on Racheal’s and Clabo’s posts.

Comments

  1. Braylan StringfellowOctober 5, 2020 at 8:44 PM

    My parents were the same way with my friends. They were very involved with my friendships, and there were times when my mom would come to me about some of them. I didn't always listen to her though, and there are times I wish I did.

    ReplyDelete

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