Peer Pressure

Have you ever been in a position where you know that something is not right, but you go along with it anyway as that is what everyone else is doing? Or that you are forced (maybe unbeknownst to yourself) to be in a situation where deep-down inside you know that it is not right?

Back when I was in High School, they used to refer to it as “peer pressure”. Does that ring a bell? I used to hang out with this group of kids in High School who were considered the cool group. Zillmere train station used to have this shed on the platform and us “cool” High School kids used to have a smoking session in there after school, while waiting for our train to come. We got busted by one of the teachers, and the next day, I got sent to the Deputy Principal’s office and I got the cane. Any of you not aware of what it is, let me put it simply….its a big stick that they used to whack you with on your palms. OUCH! Nowadays, that method of disciplining is not allowed in schools here anymore…or maybe there are still teachers out there who secretly do it, haha, I dunno. My point is, I was not aware that I was a victim of peer pressure! It wasn’t anyone’s fault, certainly not the other kids’ fault, but mine. I loved hanging out with those boys! I loved being part of a “group”. I loved being accepted….who doesn’t? But deep-down inside….I knew it was wrong…but I went along with it anyway. Sound familiar? Maybe because that is the exact line I used in my first sentence. Or maybe…you ARE in that situation.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t turn back time and change anything, as I truly believe that we all have a purpose. And that our lives have already been mapped out even before we realise it. That whatever we do, WE ARE MEANT TO DO IT. What for? Maybe to teach us a lesson? Maybe to be a better person in the end? Or maybe “all of the above” so that we can then share our experiences with others. What a gift?! To be able to tell your story and then inspire other people at the same time.

Let me share you this. And sorry for being blunt. God gave us a brain. And has given us one of the best gifts of all…FREE WILL. He has given us the gift to think for ourselves, and not let others do the thinking for us. If you know that something is not right, ASK QUESTIONS! Search for the truth! Look at the bigger picture. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own little world that we forget what is happening outside of it. I reckon you should think outside the square. I always tell people that the truth will set you free. But I have learnt the fact that people sometimes get so blinded by their own little…and I mean LITTLE…world that they can’t actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is an actual fact. Have you ever heard of stories of people falling so in love that they forget about everyone else around them? Including stories about a partner (boyfriend, husband, girlfriend, or wife) who is abusive towards the other person whether physically or mentally, BUT YET he or she still loves the other person? Even though everyone else around them says so otherwise? It brings me back to my all-time favourite movie – The Matrix. Just when Neo thinks that his life is what it is and there is nothing else, he gets introduced to a whole new world that he never knew existed.

Sometimes you just have to stop….and think. Trust your instincts! There’s nothing wrong with being a follower, just be an active follower instead of a passive one. And if you are scared to ask questions as you may upset other people, then that is a clear indication that there is something wrong with your relationship. A relationship should be open to criticism, discussion, and improvement. And it certainly should be a place where you can voice out your opinion without being attacked by your peers (whether verbally or physically). And if people act negatively towards your opinion or decision, then it’s their loss. All you can do is pray for them.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 says that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

There are so many things in that passage that I can use to prove a point…but one that strikes me at this very moment is verse 6 where it says that LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH. Rejoice….to feel happiness…to feel joyful…to be delighted…to be content….isn’t that what LOVE is all about? Isn’t that how a friendship should be? Sure there are times when you have your differences, but with love, it should be sorted out in the end.

Let me end by sharing a quote from our beloved POPE JOHN PAUL II – “The truth is not always the same as the majority decision.”



God bless you and your family always. Regardless if you know about God or not, He still loves you anyway! PEACE!