“We find comfort among those who agree with us ___ growth among those who don’t.”
It has been long debated in which environment people should live to shine or to have a peace of mind. While many people prefer to be in company with similar minded people, others feel entertained being with people who have different opinions. In my opinion, both being in familiar environment and being in a competitive environment can contribute toward one’s success in certain period of his life.
In my essay, I will discuss the implications and effects of being surrended by similar minded and competative people.
First, people tend to be with people who have similar ideas and perspectives. The reason we prefer to be with similar minded people is that we feel safe and feel comfortable among these people. While our life is comfortable among people who always appreciate our ideas, relying entirely on these people might have an unintended negative effect on our lives, such as non-competitiveness and single mindedness. In my view, we like being with our friends, because they appreciate our ideas and dislike bombing us with several critics. We feel comfortable in this kind of environment, providing us no incentive to compete for the betterment of our lives. However, it should not be forgotten that the similar minded persons, such as our friends, can understand our way of thinking and can contribute toward a desired life style. Chief example of this kind of situation is the behavior of our parents. Parents want to provide the best for us and sometimes spoil us. Parents are also afraid of putting children in an unfamiliar environment where they will be surrounded by many other children who have different ideas and way of thinking. This way parents protect too much their children, hindering them to develop certain qualities.
Second, I believe people should spend time in unfamiliar environment or with people who disagree with us. While our friends usually do not highlight our negative aspects, people with a different point of view can highlight such a thing that we could not notice in our familiar environment. Great example of this kind of situation is when someone has to adapt in a new environment, such as new workplace, new culture, new country and new family situation. In these situations we not only learn about the new situation but also we get to know ourself. In this situation, we can explore such a quality in ourself that was unknown for us, enabling us to improve ourself and our behavior.
Also, I need to admit that people who do not agree with us can cause harm, if someone does not have a strong base. People with other way of thingking can discourage us and can tell unfair critics. A mature person can handle these critics in the right way and can understand which critic was justified and which suggestion was unfair. Therefore, children must be closely watched by their parents in order not to be involved in an unintended situation or in an unpleasant situation.
To sum up, I believe that we need to be familiar with different ideas and need to listen to the opinions of other people. However, we need to be critical pertaining to any opinion, no matter the opinion comes from our parents and friends or from people who have other way of thinking.
TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture on agriculture