Every child is innocent in childhood. No one is born bad. When children are born, they cry. So why don’t they remain the same as they grow up? Why do they speak different languages? Why do some follow the right path while others go down the wrong one?

The reason is the environment they grow up in. We are greatly influenced by the surroundings we live in. That is why a child whose parents speak English also speaks English and a child whose parents speak Urdu also speaks Urdu.

One of the biggest examples of how much our environment can affect us is feral children. They are born like any other human beings, but when they are raised without normal human interaction, they can adopt behaviours from the animals or surroundings they grow up around.

A Ukrainian girl, Oxana Malaya, born in 1983, was abandoned by her parents when she was three years old and spent years living with dogs. She began barking and walking on her hands and feet like a dog. Her story shows how deeply our surroundings can influence our behaviour.

We humans are a bit like chameleons and we also adapt to the environment we are in. Much of this happens without us even realising it. For example, if someone in front of us yawns repeatedly, we may start yawning too. We also begin using words that our friends use frequently because we hear them so often. Even our accents can change. My cousins are Urdu-speaking, but when they moved to Lahore, their accents became more like those of the people around them because most of their interactions were with Punjabis. They did not consciously change the way they spoke; it happened naturally.

If our surroundings can influence something as basic as our language and accent, imagine how much the people we spend the most time with can influence us.

There is a famous quote by Jim Rohn: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” It has a deep meaning. We are likely to pick up the habits, attitudes and ways of thinking of the people closest to us.

If your close friends are hardworking, career-oriented, successful and well-mannered, you are more likely to be motivated by them. Seeing them succeed can inspire you to work harder and improve yourself. You may pick up ideas from them and even develop a healthy sense of competition.

But if your close friends are lazy, negative and always looking for shortcuts, you may begin to adopt those habits too. Instead of overcoming your laziness, you may start blaming fate for your failures or looking for easy ways to succeed.

Sometimes, we even agree with our friends when we know they are wrong, simply because we want to fit in. We may be afraid that they will make fun of us, call us backward or even end their friendship with us. This is how peer pressure can make us do things we would not normally do.

For example, many young people start smoking because they want to look cool or fit in with their group of friends, even though they know how harmful smoking is. The desire to fit in can sometimes become stronger than what we know is right.

Some people think they are wise enough to avoid being influenced by others. They believe it does not matter what kind of company they have, because they know the difference between right and wrong. But if we stay in a fish market for a long time without even touching a fish, we will still smell like fish. Similarly, if we spend enough time in a perfume shop, we may leave carrying its fragrance with us.

No matter how wise we think we are, we can still be influenced because we are human, not angels. That is why bad company can lead a good person down the wrong path. When you go astray, the consequences do not affect only you. Your family may also have to face questions and criticism. No parent wants their child to go astray. Every parent wants their children to follow the right path and have a successful future, and they work hard to give their children that opportunity.

For the sake of your parents’ sacrifices and their honour, for your own honour and future, stay away from bad company. It is better to be alone than to be part of a bad group. We have been hearing since childhood that prevention is better than cure, so why wait until you need counselling or rehabilitation to change your ways?

So choose your company wisely!

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 3rd, 2026