Many people obtain the mindset that you become who you hang around. Mostly, it’s parents, teachers, or other authority figures that convey this idea to teenagers constantly. They claim that they have the right to deem this statement as true because they’re “wiser” and have “been around longer.” However, the mere fact that they have been alive longer does not determine that everything they predict comes true.

I’m not saying that parents are always wrong, mine have definitely been right about things. No matter who you surround yourself with, when it comes down to it, you make your own decisions. For instance, if I have a friend who drinks, that doesn’t mean that I will end up drinking. Just like if I befriended someone who is not a Christian, it doesn’t mean that they will become one just due to the fact that they’re friends with me.

You cannot become who your friend is. Even if you go through phases to find out who you really are, everyone is different from their friends. Of course people tend to surround themselves with people who they have things in common with, but that does not entail that everything you and your friend think and do is the same. I could name tons of people I enjoy being around and associating myself who do things I don’t like, and I’m sure people could say the same about me.  

In addition, people sometimes do not wish to associate themselves with certain others due to their “bad reputation.” The problem with this is people lie and people exaggerate and people spread false information. So the reason that you choose not to be acquainted with somebody could be because you believed something that isn’t even true. Another issue with this philosophy is the fact that even if they truly do have a bad reputation, they probably have good qualities and potential that you’re choosing to overpass just for the sake of your own image.

At the end of the today, temptation does not inquire persona; actions do.