An ode to influence: part two

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the influence people have over who I am when I am with them. As strongly as I believe everything that I said, I left out one very important point for the sake of time. So here, my friends, is the sequel.

As much as others influence me, I have to have the same impact on them. Who people make me is important to defining my integrity, but to define my CHARACTER, I need to know how I influence those same people. Do I make you a nicer person? A happier person? An angry person? Do I make you feel uncomfortable? Awkward? Do I make you laugh? Or at least smile? Do you like who you are when you're with me?

There is really no way to know because wherever I am, so too is the you I make you. And that is such a weird thought. It's like, the only shade of you I will ever know is the one that I partially molded. (I could go on a long tangent here about how it should be impossible for us to hate anyone, then, because everyone we know is partly our creation. But I'm not going to do that).

I think the influence you have on others is more important than any intrinsic characteristic when it comes to defining someone as a human being. So, no. Being outgoing or goofy or dedicated or passionate or smart or confident or kind is not what makes you a good person. A good person is someone who can make others all of those things, or at least make them want to be those things. We should be measured by who we make others, what we inspire them to do.

I'd like to hope that I make people the best version of themselves, although that is probably not true. But, as my main boy Jeff Tweedy once said, where would we be without wishful thinking?






Also, the clouds rocked my worlds today