Argumentative essay

Comment on: “ When we are near the ink, we get soiled; when we area near the light, we get illuminated”.
CHOOSING A GOOD FRIEND
Everyone needs friends, but sometimes people make poor choices in selecting their friends. Whenever parents see their children associating with delinquent youths, they usually remind them of the proverb: “ When we are near the ink, we get soiled; ; when we area near the light, we get illuminated”.
If we handle a, black ink pot, the ink might spill and soil our clothes and body. If we sit near a light, the light will illuminate us and our surroundings.
The black ink can be compared with an undesirable friend and the light can be compared with a good and wholesome friend. We are easily influenced by our friends and associations. If we associate with people who possess bad traits, these traits are often adopted by us. On the other hand, associations with wholesome people tend to make our lives wholesome also.
Mencius’s mother had to move her family many times because of the undesirable influence of her neighbors on her son. When she and her son, Mencius, lived near a market place, Mencius imitated the traiders and played marketing all day long. His mother decided to move to another place which happened to be near a butcher’s shop. Mencius then started to imitate the butcher by playing a game of butchering a hog. Finally his mother decided to move again and this time moved near a school. Mencius then started imitating friends of his age. He began to study and later became a famous sage.
Another example found in my class also proves the above proverb to be correct. In my class there is a student whose name is Minh. At the beginning of the school year, Minh sat near a lazy and mischievous student. Not long after, Minh also became lazy and similar in his behavior to that of his neighboring class-mate. Learning that his son was making poor progress, Minh’s father suggested that the teacher move Minh to another seat. This time Minh sat near Toan, a studious and docile student. Minh soon corrected his bad habits and later became as good as Toan.
All of the above examples prove to us that we need to select our friends carefully. We should try to keep company with wholesome friends and avoid those who might have a bad influence on us.
Since young people lack mature experience, they often try to imitate others without being thoughtful of consequenses which might be imposed upon them. We have to remember and practise the proverb: “When we are near the ink we get soiled; when we area near the light, we get illuminated” to lead happy and beneficial lives.