PEER PRESSURE

Friends are like fruits: you've got to pick them wisely, otherwise you'd end up with really bad ones.

Most of us have probably heard of "conforming," and I'm sure we've all been there. Ginagawa natin lahat ng makakaya natin para magmukha tayong kaaya-aya sa mga kaibigan natin. At the same time, we don't want to be talked about behind our backs.

Have you ever given in to peer pressure?

Sadly, we become slaves to conformity. Gusto nating makibagay sa mga kaibigan natin, o kahit sa mga tao sa paligid. Because of this, nawawala ang kahalagahan ng pagiging unique ng bawat isa.

Ilang beses ka na bang naging biktima o alipin ng peer pressure? Tingnan mo ang pananamit mo, ang mga banda at singers na pinapakinggan mo, at kahit ang mga bagay na nagawa mo na ni minsan ay hindi man lang sumagi sa isip mo na makakayanan mong gawin. Lahat ng 'yan ay para makuha ang acceptance ng mga kaibigan at kakilala mo.

Don't you think that's stupid? Why do we always have to try our best to be like everyone else? Nasaan na nga ba ang sense of individuality ng bawat isa? Why do we always have to think about what other people say or think? Why don't you stand up to your own principles?

I've seen people who lost track of their lives because they've fallen under the influences of really bad friends. Sa mga lalaki, nandiyan ang pag-inom at paninigarilyo para makibagay. Sa mga babae naman, nandiyan ang pag-aayos o pagdamit ng mga uso o mamahalin. Minsan ba ay nasabihan ka nang "hindi marunong makisama"? Bakit kaya?

Nakakatawa mang isipin pero hindi yata ito mawawala sa ugali natin bilang mga tao. Acceptance is very valuable to us. We want to feel that we are part of a group. But despite all of this, is it really necessary for us to change our ways para makibagay? Think about it. If your friends won't accept you for who you really are (and not who you've become because of their influence), then there is no use enjoying their company. Kung talagang kaibigan ang trato sa'yo ng isang tao, hindi panlabas na anyo ang dapat niyang pagbasehan kundi ang ugali mo at ang mga prinsipyo mo sa buhay. You don't have to try hard to be accepted by people. If you feel like you're having a hard time keeping up with your current friends, you probably picked the wrong group.

Instead of being the conformist, ikaw na lang ang mag-impluwensiya sa mga kaibigan mo ng mabubuting bagay. If you know that what you're doing is stupid or harmful to you, you should be wise enough not to do it in the name of peer pressure. Learn to make wise decisions and teach your friends to do good. Because like fruits, if you end up getting a really bad set of friends, you can just give them a good cleaning and help peel away their weak spots.