With Whom Are You Walking?

Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 13:20

 

One of the things I can remember being told, when I was MUCH younger, is "Be careful who you hang around with."  I admit that I didn't give too much attention to that.  Most of those my age thought I was a bit weird and quiet, and I was being an introvert.  But as an introvert, I had developed a habit of observing interactions with people, or "people watching" if you prefer.  And one thing I began to notice...when people are around their friends for a while will begin to take on the mannerisms and even speech patterns of each other.

 

Fast forward to my time in the Army, when I was with the same group of people for 8 straight weeks, 24 hours a day.  Part of the Army training was to get us to act as a single unit, think as a single unit, and one of the side effects happened to be we began to act alike and talk alike.  I didn't realize it at the time, but I had developed quite the colorful vocabulary.  This became embarrassingly clear when I saw the look on my Mom's face when, after Basic Training Graduation, I was talking with some of my comrades and the discussion she heard had gotten a bit "salty."  The look on her face broke my heart.

 

It was at that point that the warning of my youth replayed in my mind.  If you want to be wise, walk with wise people.  If you would rather not be wise, as was I, then just "go with the flow."  Wise people will challenge you to grow, while others will find growth too much of a hassle and discourage you from even trying.  Choose who you would rather be around.