On awareness of self and others

Otherwise known as compassion.
To be compassionate, you have to feel strongly about something (passion), and feel it coming from another (the suffix co-). Compassion, our word of the day.

Last Saturday, I held my alcohol. Back in the day, I used to get pushed by my friends to drink. A lot. And I oblige. Peer pressure, much? It felt like I had to prove something, so I just go with the flow, to the point of... well, bad things happen. But last Saturady... well, I didn't feel the need to prove myself. Why prove myself? Just go out there and have a great time. You (or at least, I) don't need a lot of alcohol to have fun, don't you agree? (no, don't answer that)

Today, I learned a valuable lesson. It's not enough to be aware only of my own back. I should also be aware of other people's backs. They might not directly affect me (or they might), but they are people. Who affect other people. And if I don't know what's going on, how am I to act on the situation? And now that I'm older (and wiser?), I should be in the position to watch out for more backs. Because, in the end, everyone affects everyone else.