Birds of a feather

Octavia Tsibes
Sara Weyulu

Teenage years are more important than people think. Adolescence points us in a direction that we will most likely pursue in our adulthood. We choose our field of study, and whether or not we will even attend tertiary institutions. Our field of study in turn determines our field of work. Work we are likely to do for the rest of our lives.

It is our last chance to enjoy ourselves while under the guidance of guardians. Once you’re an adult, you cannot run to a guardian to help you fix an irresponsible mistake you made – you’ll simply have to face the music.

Along with the preparations for adulthood, we make friends. Some of these friendships will last us a lifetime, others might not even last us a month. Regardless, we place so much importance on these friendships. We tell ourselves that these friendships are all we have. Despite the fact that most of these friendships may not even last a year past high school, the fact that we place so much importance on them still allows these friendships to mould us.

This is where peer pressure is vital. When we hear the words ‘peer pressure’, we cannot help but think of campaigns against peer pressure and slogans like “say no to peer pressure”. The truth is that peer pressure has two sides. It can be positive or negative. Negative peer pressure is the culprit to campaign against – smoking, drinking, drugs, bullying. Positive peer pressure, however, can often be vital to creating a successful young adult. This is why things like “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” are so true. We don’t always realize it, but who we surround ourselves with can change our entire lives, and this is especially true for us teens.

Given this, choosing our friends may be the most important decision we make. It can define us for the rest of our lives. Too many drug addicts, recovering and otherwise, cite their involvement with the wrong friends as the reason for their demise. Too many young criminal offenders, believe that they could have avoided the tragedy they caused themselves and others if they had not been involved with their friends. Know what you do to yourself when you choose your friends and choose wisely.