By Shaquan Sam<\/p>\n
Opinion: For as long as I can remember, my mom has been telling me to beware of the company I keep.<\/p>\n
When I was a little younger, she told me to stay away from a particular person but, I didn\u2019t listen to her.<\/p>\n
It is not that she thinks I am better than anyone because I also have my shortcomings, but this child is way out of line. At his tender age, he smokes, drinks and is very unmannerly.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons why you should choose your friends wisely is that people label you. For instance, if you have a friend who smokes and you\u2019re seen with that person, automatically you are viewed as a smoker too. It is this stigma that my mother is shielding me from.<\/p>\n
Collin Powell corroborates mom\u2019s statement in his quote \u201cA mirror reflects a man\u2019s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses”. I agree with his view and hers to an extent, but I\u2019d like to offer my own view on the subject \u201cbe mindful of the company you keep\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, you don\u2019t have to follow society and stay away from a person who is labelled as \u201cbad\u201d. Contrary to popular beliefs, you can befriend that individual and help him\/her to change. Most times, it is not that they are not willing to change, it is that no one has offered them an opportunity to consider changing.<\/p>\n
The young man in question felt neglected by his family and turned to drugs and alcohol to ease his pain but with my friendship and assistance, he is a changed person today. Interestingly, my mommy praised me for the role I played in his life.<\/p>\n
I am very mindful that peer pressure is real. I am cognizant that some of my peers would try to impose their bad ideas on me, but I will not succumb to peer pressure. My upbringing and conscience will not allow me to.<\/p>\n
I have great plans for my future. Thus, I will not give anyone an opportunity to jeopardize the plans that I have for me. I insist on being a leader and not a follower. It is my aim to be a positive influence on as many peers as I can.<\/p>\n
In a society where most of the crimes are committed by young people, I refuse to be a part of the statistics.<\/p>\n
If we look around, we will see that young people have more opportunities now more than ever. I intend to capitalise on as many opportunities as I can, and I implore my fellow young people to do the same. Let us make meaningful contributions to the betterment of our country.<\/p>\n
I recognise that friends are important and sometimes the people who are labelled as \u201cbad\u201d just need a friend. Even Christ hang around the people who were deemed bad.
\nRemember, friends can make positive influences in your life too. In fact, I have friends who push me to be the best that I can be and vice versa.<\/p>\n
Be mindful of the friends you keep but if you can befriend someone and help that person to change, do not neglect that opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Shaquan Sam Opinion: For as long as I can remember, my mom has been telling me to beware of the company I keep. When I was a little younger, she told me to stay away from a particular person but, I didn\u2019t listen to her. It is not that she thinks I am better<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":11888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n