Far too many people have destroyed their own lives and the potential which was within them by associating with bad company. The Bible certainly makes this perfectly clear, “Bad company corrupts good habits.”So how do you define a good habit from a bad habit? Easy, not smoking or not taking illicit drugs are good habits. Bad company will encourage you to take up these kind of bad habits. Why? Because if you do not conform to the bad habits of bad company then it will make them feel uncomfortable. A person with commonsense and the right set of values taught by their parents will not associate with such company.
However so many youngsters fall into the trap of getting involved with people whose values are not compatible to theirs. It is good when you make friends with people whose values are stricter than yours but not so at the other extreme where bad company can crush a person’s aspirations and potential.
The consequences of getting around with the wrong type of people can be disastrous. The prisons are full of people who made that vital mistake. It only takes one choice to follow the example of bad people and that choice always leads to a multiple of bad choices resulting in a life of wasted potential.
Taking advice from an older head can help avoid bad relationships because people who have been around longer than you have more insight into a person’s character. Reject their advice at your peril.
There are some tell-tale signs which you may be able to spot because taking a relationship to the next level. Take a look at patterns of behaviour which keep repeating themselves. If a person is cruel to animals, it may be a sign that they have no empathy with others because there is a link to animal cruel and violence against people. How they treat their own family is another clue because people tend to treat their partners in the same manner.
Some people tend to get caught up with their emotions and kid themselves into believing that their new friends are okay when the evidence is otherwise. This is a mistake that so many people who fall into a bad crowd make. It is also true that people tend to make friends with those of a similar self-esteem. This is the catch 22 situation because those with a lower self-esteem tend to be the ones who struggle in life.