Stop whatever you’re doing. Stop, and wonder. Why am I doing this? Am I doing it because I want to? Am I doing this because somebody asked me to? Am I doing this because I’m trying to be like somebody else? Why are you doing what you’re doing? Very often, in today’s world, people don’t do what they want to, but instead do what others are doing. People feel the need to do what others do, maybe because they want to fit in and follow the herd. What we often don’t realize is the consequences of our doings, and how it affects others. For example, if the most popular child in school says it’s the new ‘in thing’ to smoke, and who ever doesn’t is a loser, other children start smoking as well. Unaware of the harm that it is doing to their body, but to others around them as well. We also tend to do what others do, due to fear, and feeling relatively small compared to other people, hoping that if you start behaving the same way they do and do the same things they do that they will accept you and that they will stop intimidating you. These are misconceptions that we make up in our minds that stop us from thinking clearly.  Peer pressure is one of the main reasons why we do what we do. We get pressurized into it, and in today’s world, many teenagers are threatened, bullied and abused, if they don’t do what is asked of them by more popular teenagers. They get pressurized into doing drugs, drinking, talking back to a teacher, skipping school, doing other children’s homework and the list continues. A lot of us have stopped thinking for ourselves, and have allowed others to do that for us, simply to be accepted into society. We often do inhumane things, and once the action is done, there is no taking it back. Teenagers in today’s world, are spoilt. Money has taken over completely, and there is no end to what they will buy to impress and to intimidate other students. The ones they are trying to impress get swept away, and often fall into their trap. As for the others, they brag, boast and tease till the person is miserable and feels intimidated by their appearance. The children then drive their parents insane, and their list of demands is never ending, and god forbid the parent says no, a fit is thrown. We have it in our heads that it is so important to get accepted into society, but in reality it really is not. It does not matter how you look, what brands you wear, how short or tall you are, how thin or fat you are. None of that matters, but we are so blinded by the materialistic things, we forget what really matters. It matters what kind of a person you are and what your personality is like. Teenagers often feel it’s the ‘cool’ thing to talk badly to children who aren’t as popular, to back answer teachers, to be rude to one another and to not care about things. Most people get annoyed with teenagers like this, but fail to tell them to stop, in fear of getting tormented by one of them. We also do what others do, even if we don’t particularly like what they’re doing to gain popularity. For example, if a popular girl dyes her hair purple, you might not like the colour, or the idea of dying your hair but you do it anyway to gain popularity and do everything the so called ‘cool kids’ do. We feel the need to do what others do. We don’t like admitting it, well, because we don’t like admitting a lot of things but it’s true. We let others capture our minds, and fill their thoughts and ideas into it. Think of people as pirates, and you as an island. The island is independent and one of the most important islands for several years, but suddenly many other islands come up next to it and it suddenly starts losing importance. The pirates start coming in to hijack the islands, but all the other more important islands are confident and protect themselves, whereas the island that was once important has lost all its confidence, and cannot protect itself. The less important island is now weak, hence the pirate hijacks it and alters the island as per his/her wish, oblivious to what the island really wants, and the island does not have any choice but to deal with is as it is weak. We often can’t tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong when we are pressurized, and this leads to making wrong decisions that have serious consequences. I believe we should stand up for ourselves, and not let others tell us what to do. We are aware of what we are capable of, and no one should be able to take that away from us. We know what we like and what we dislike, and that should not be altered by someone else’s likes and dislikes. We should stop doing what others do just to gain popularity or to get accepted into society. What we don’t realize, is that all of us are in need of a change, and we all need some variety. If we stop doing what others do, and start doing what we want to do, we become happier people. Each person has a way of dressing, some people might have that in common. But, if everyone does the same thing, how will you ever know that someone out there likes the same clothes you do? If we all follow a herd patter, how is anyone going to realize anything? We all are in desperate need of a change, and we should be the ones creating it. Do what makes you happy, don’t do it because you feel scared or threatened. Do it, for you.