Gulf News

Popularity means nothing

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Just because you have a couple of people waving at you when you walk down the school corridor doesn’t make you popular.

Nor does it make you happy .

As someone put it, “Popularity is when other people like you, happiness is when you like yourself.”

Everyone has their own definition of popularity. You could think of popularity as the key to appreciati­on — as if being popular gets people to acknowledg­e your actions.

Try putting yourself in the shoes of those who become popular. Imagine being watched, judged and gossiped about for an unlimited time. You will have people talk about the most personal things that you might have only told your close friends which then makes you start doubting the people you once called friends. Popularity makes you want to build your own walls around you and then hide behind the very walls you once thought will protect you. Neverthele­ss, nothing stops the rumours from spreading, like a contagious disease with no cure till all the walls you built collapse with you in tow.

Being popular in school should be the least of your concerns because popularity is not going to get you anywhere. The school will not give you extra credit just because you are “the popular kid”. It is

most definitely not a job qualificat­ion either.

Why start a reputation you know you cannot keep? So, rethink your decision of wanting to be popular. Think about the risks you are willing to take and if you are willing to lose everything and everyone around you simply to gain the attention of your peers.

So why paint an image of what you are not?

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