Preference

It is surprising that a grown man can often adjust his judgment based on the opinion of others. Such men have little bias and are often viewed as inauthentic. The environment in which we live in makes us who we are. A broken man, when brought to a brighter environment, can fix himself, and a good man, when descended into a bad environment, will likely become a bad person. But this all depends on how the person takes it.

We should try to surround ourselves with brighter people, people who are smarter than us, and most importantly, people who are capable of pointing out our flaws. Praises and compliments can be of help to us temporarily, but they will not push us to the next level. The people who mock us, who criticize us, even to the point of deep embarrassment, are actually the ones we should be hanging out with and be friends with.