You Are Who You Are With

More than once I've stopped to wonder who I surround myself with. There are some who spout The Office quotes and Mae lyrics back and forth with me. There are some who challenge me intellectually. There are some who share my passion for giving back. And then there are some who...are so different from me.

I feel myself changing when I'm around them. I downplay my keen observations, I talk about the pedestrian, and I focus on what I think they're interested in. In short, I pander to this crowd. In search of what? Acceptance? Belonging? Understanding?

Sometimes it's hard to even understand why I spend time with these people since I feel like I can't be myself around them. 

But generalization never did anything good for society. And every time I try to walk away, they prove to me that this is worth investing in. 

It'd be interesting to see - maybe 10, 20 years from now - where we all end up as individuals. Rifts exist between us all, and I'm sure they'll manifest themselves as we move forward as adults.

What will we be like in the future? Is this unnamed bond enough to keep us together? Or will our differences tear us apart?

I can't say which I prefer.