When selecting friends, decision making can be daunting, especially if you are a bad judge of character. Contrary to building relationships for the long haul, unfavorable personalities can be disastrous for self-image. Furthermore, a bad one can not only put pressure on your back, but it can also lead to a string of harmful events along the road.
Parents usually warn us to avoid trouble makers at school. Too often we mix with anyone who befriends us in our youth for lack of people skills, so unless we have a knack to read others on face value then in theory, we could start off wrongly early on in our lives. If you hang around with thieves there is a good chance you will become smeared in deceit. If you mix with drug addicts you might fall into the trap of dependency.
Have you ever noticed how we tend to make our own informed decisions, as opposed to falling into the spell of what others say as gospel? Parents usually teach us values that will serve us during our lifetime, so we optimize potential. However, not all parents have common sense, or are bothered to repeat telling their children until they have the sense to be cautious. And even if they make the effort to help their offspring be aware, how difficult is it to know for sure about another’s character and what they are prepared to do in or against one’s favor?
I have personally known people for twenty plus years, thinking I knew them well, and then all of a sudden, the cat got out of the bag. By a simple mistake they show their true colors which can be upsetting after such a long relationship. It is very common to witness another’s character along the path, and often real friendship prevails.
A true friend is a friend when it is convenient and when it is not. They stand by you consistently both when you are present and when you are not. They answer you with empathy, perspective, and honesty. True friends aren't phony with you. They show you who they really are.
Low level people then are those individuals that let you down, the ones who are unprepared to share values such as respect. Personally, I have the opinion that whether friend or foe there should be an element of deep consideration and understanding to make the world a better place.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
1. Daunting (adj) = intimidating, unnerving, discouraging, scary, frightening, overwhelming, formidable, disheartening, demoralizing, dismaying, off-putting, (ant) heartening, comfortable
2. Unfavorable (adj) = harmful, adverse, bad, detrimental, disadvantageous, damaging, (ant) beneficial
3. Knack (n) = ability, skill, talent, flair, aptitude, capability, gift, facility
4. Smeared (adj) = dirty, muddy, messy, grubby, tarnished, filthy, soiled, unclean, (ant) clean
5. Deceit (n) = dishonesty, treachery, deceitfulness, deception, trickery, sham, pretense, cheating, fraud, (ant) honesty
6. The cat got out of the bag (idiom) = is a colloquialism meaning to reveal facts previously hidden. It could refer to revealing a conspiracy (friendly or not) to its target, letting an outsider into an inner circle of knowledge (e.g., explaining an in-joke) or the revelation of a plot twist in a movie or play. If you let the cat out of the bag, you tell people about something that was being kept secret. You often do this by mistake.
7. Showing one’s true colors (idiom) = to show what one is really like, to reveal one's real nature or character. “He seemed nice at first, but he showed his true colors during the crisis.”
8. Foe (n) = adversary, enemy, antagonist, rival, opponent, (ant) friend