Does Company Matter?

On a random get-together, sitting in an eating joint and waiting for the food, a friend brings up the question “Do you think that company really matters?”

Of course, company matters; the goodwill of the company and its profit scale affects your salary package. Plus the better the company, the better are the facilities and the better the work environment they provide to you. 
Bullshit. 
I was actually talking about companionship and the group of people you hang out with.

Just as I was about to give my opinion, which was in the affirmative, of course; the other two friends promptly said “No, we don’t think so. How can someone else affect you, your habits and the decisions you take?” I so wanted to say otherwise but I don’t know why I didn’t. But here is my chance (After all, this is the space where I say whatever I actually want to say.)

How does one become a chain smoker or a drug addict? Where does it actually start from? From the first cigarette which their peers offer to them. While that was the clichéd one; let me start with a basic example.

How do you feel at the end of the day when you’ve studied one particular subject all day long, say mathematics? It has happened to me several times, whenever I used to study it for hours it left an impression on me. I would be doing calculations, even in my dreams, as all day I had been in the company of Mathematics.

Moving on, why do people join laughter clubs, writer’s communities, music classes etcetera? Simply put, because you like jostling with people having the same interests/motives as you. Otherwise, why would anyone opt for such things if the company didn’t matter? Plus, you tend to improvise your skills and adopt better habits when you are surrounded by such people.

Parents often ask their offspring to be with good people, give them good books to read, tell them stories with moral lessons and teach them all good things that they can. Because whatever you are surrounded by has a gradual and deep impact on you and your thinking.

Brain is such an amazing organ. Slowly your company starts having an impact on it. Want a proof? Remember, when your English teacher advised you to reach English Newspaper daily. It is primarily for the reason that when you go through some something, it leaves an impression on you even without you knowing it. 

After a while, your brain starts suggesting words of which you don’t know the meaning clearly, but somewhere the backdrop is the regular scanning of the newspapers. Same is the case with the company. Gradually comes down the acceptance; you start acting the way you see things going on and start doing things the way others around you are doing.

A glimpse of how my company affected me: When I was a kid, Govinda used to be my favourite hero. And all others in my house used to religiously like Shah Rukh Khan. After a few years, I joined their club and started ticking Shah Rukh’s column whenever favourite hero question was asked.


Writer’s note: Just realised that I have chosen the interrogative style of writing after spotting so many question marks. Besides, I think that this post got a little boring just as in the case of the other posts when I tried to prove things (To be specific ‘Excuses’, and ‘Why so’ posts)