daniel chigunwe
David Makora
Masters student at
University of Zimbabwe
The rhetoric of peer pressure among the youths today has been overrated. The term often times has been used as a pretext for justification by youths that possess poor decision making skills to shape their careers.
While decision-making is an iron law of necessity for one to shape the destiny of life, a critical, objective and focused selection of life choices is quintessential.
Undoubtedly the formula of life is integrated by the decisions that one undertakes neither consciously or unconsciously.
As such the subject of decision making becomes critical and worth mentioning in this analysis. Contrary to the popular understanding among the youths today that people live with the decisions they make, the broader understanding of this, is that people live with the consequences of the decisions they make. Hence decision-making is a once of process that one has to choose the path to follow and adhere to.
However the circumstances and effects that are inherent in the path that one selects in the socio-economic and political life are gradually experienced for a life time.
Therefore it is my juvenile submission that in making decisions it is important to study the consequences than the choices themselves.
Decisions are not an independent variable that operates in isolation but are dependant on the consequences that are tied to them.
Freewill is a natural right that is entitled to every human being in a life setting that is limited by our inability to mend or reverse the outcome that is unfavourable to our expectations.
Hence studying the consequences of every moment in life that seems like opportunism, is critical to informed decision making.
Peer pressure is a term that describes the impact of external influence and force that is often generated from those that surround us.
Undeniably every human being is a social and a political animal that possesses natural desires to interact with others for self satisfaction and gratification.
However succumbing to the influence that is externally exerted on us, is a matter of choice either to take heed to it or to reject it.
The greatest and most fearless war of life is the fight that happens within ourselves of what we are and who we want to become.
The old age saying connotes that an internal enemy is more dangerous that an external enemy.
Likewise the most deadly obstacles to decision making emanates from within ourselves, the failure to identify who we are and where we want to be and the correct path to reach the intended target.
The criteria of life is that the means justify the end.
Destiny is not an end in itself but a process that is determined by the options that are available to us. Being ourselves, unique and distinct from others as we possess different visions and dreams is what makes us prototype to future generations.
Being ignorant of the voices inside ourselves is the root cause of a blame game among youth’s today for peer pressure.
Real blame will be permanently upon as we are the key holders of every experience that we undergo in life.
Paying attention to understand who we are and who we want to become is the best option to successful decision making.
As such it is imperative to note that peer pressure has become a scapegoat among youth’s today for their poor decision making in life.
Online Reporter