Choosing the Influences Around Us
Morning Reflection
This morning, I would like to share with readers something I recently read about the Buddha’s teaching and connect it with an interesting incident that my friend raised during our conversation at the café.
The Buddha taught:
“One should not associate with bad friends, nor associate with low or wicked people. One should associate only with good friends, and associate with noble individuals.”
This teaching reminds me that the people we spend time with can influence our thoughts, attitudes, habits, and eventually the direction of our lives.
This morning, while my friend and I were sitting at our usual table in the café, several people came in and sat near us. They began discussing their business very loudly. Because they were sitting close to our table, both of us could hear their conversation clearly.
I noticed that their loud voices disturbed me a little, but I did not pay much attention to them. I simply continued with my own activities.
After they left, however, my friend raised an interesting question.
He said that they had been talking about businesses involving millions of dollars. Then he asked, “What would happen if my wife and your wife were sitting here with us? Would they hear these people talking about million-dollar businesses and think that we are useless because we are not doing businesses like that?”
We laughed a little, but then our conversation became more thoughtful.
My friend suggested that sometimes what people say may not necessarily represent the complete truth. Perhaps several months later, those same people might return and accuse one another of cheating.
One person might say, “Why did you cheat me?”
The other might respond, “I was cheated by someone else too. That is why I had to protect myself. If I did not say that I had millions of dollars, how would you trust me?”
This conversation reminded me how easily people can become trapped in cycles of exaggeration, deception, competition, and mistrust.
Then my friend showed me an example involving one of our former schoolmates who was using artificial intelligence to generate and manipulate pictures for business purposes.
He made an important observation: if we know how to use AI properly, it can become a useful assistant and provide many benefits. But if we use AI in the wrong way—to deceive, manipulate, or mislead others—it can also create serious harm.
This led me to think more deeply about the Buddha’s teaching.
Today, our “association” is not limited to the people who sit beside us. We also associate with information, technology, social media, ideas, habits, and the content we repeatedly allow into our minds.
These influences can gradually shape our inner world.
After listening to my friend, I replied that sometimes, even without knowing everything about another person, our minds can recognize whether a particular influence is healthy for us or not. Therefore, if we recognize that certain people or environments are encouraging dishonesty, harmful behavior, or confusion, we do not necessarily need to fight with them or judge them.
We can simply choose not to stay too close to those influences.
This does not mean that we should consider ourselves better than others. It means that we should take responsibility for protecting our own minds.
We cannot control what other people say.
We cannot control how others conduct their businesses.
We cannot control how others use AI.
But we can control what we listen to, what we believe, what we imitate, and what we allow to become part of our own lives.
A wise person does not need to participate in every conversation.
Sometimes wisdom is simply knowing when to listen, when to remain silent, and when to walk away.
This morning reminded me that choosing our associations carefully is also a form of mindfulness.
The people and influences around us may plant seeds in our minds, but we still have the responsibility to choose which seeds we allow to grow.
🌿 Reflection
Who and what are the influences I regularly allow into my mind?
Do the people, information, technology, conversations, and environments around me help cultivate wisdom, honesty, compassion, and inner peace—or do they sometimes create confusion and unrest?
🌱 Daily Practice
Today, before joining a conversation, following information online, or using technology, pause for a moment and ask:
“Is this influence helping me become wiser and more peaceful?”
If something repeatedly encourages anger, dishonesty, jealousy, fear, or harmful behavior, practice creating a little distance from it.
At the same time, seek the company of people and influences that encourage kindness, wisdom, honesty, responsibility, and compassion.
Do not judge others. Simply become mindful of what you allow to enter and remain in your own mind.
🙏 Blessing
May I have the wisdom to choose my associations carefully.
May I recognize the influences that nourish my mind and those that disturb my inner peace.
May I surround myself with people, knowledge, and experiences that encourage wisdom, honesty, compassion, and kindness.
May I use technology, including artificial intelligence, responsibly and wisely, using its benefits without allowing it to become a source of deception or harm.
May I never consider myself better than others, but remain humble and mindful of my own choices.
May my thoughts, words, and actions become wholesome seeds that bring peace to myself and benefit to others.
May I, my family, and all beings be safe, peaceful, happy, and free from suffering.
— Raksmey Koy
Art of Inner Peace
www.artofinnerpeace.com
Continue Your Journey
If today’s reflection touched your heart, I invite you to explore my books on Amazon. Each one is written to inspire mindfulness, wisdom, and inner peace. Thank you for walking this journey with me.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/raksmeykoy
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