On a Few Topics

Hey guys, it’s been a while since we last talked about the 2008 Mortgage Crisis, and today I want to focus on a very different topic—one that I truly believe is important: Our social circles and how they affect us.

You might ask, “Why did you choose this topic, Muhammet?” To be honest, it’s because I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. Am I surrounding myself with the right people? Am I narrowing my circle too much? Do I care about the people I have strong relationships with? Or do I have another purpose beyond simply being a good friend?

At first glance, these kinds of questions may seem a bit absurd—but I firmly believe they’re essential to ask ourselves as they are reasonably significant for our wellbeing. They help us reflect on our actions and understand who we truly are.

From a university student’s perspective, I want to focus on three main aspects of our social life.

1. Are there real friendships in our circles?

Think about it—whether it’s through clubs, classes, small communities, or random encounters. Are these relationships genuine? Actually, this question might be too narrow. Maybe a better one is: “To what degree are our relationships authentic and intimate?”

Many of us find ourselves building connections on artificial grounds, mainly because we’re trying to “network.” Of course, there’s nothing wrong with networking as we all do. But the real question is: Are we doing it only for personal gain, or because we truly like and respect these people and want to stay in touch with them?

This isn’t an easy question to answer, but it’s crucial if we want to surround ourselves with the right people. In today’s world, we all have to establish relationships in some way, and if we don’t do it properly, we might end up feeling lost or unfulfilled, and at some point we can be lonely.

2. Is comparison really the thief of joy?

Should we even compare ourselves to others? Don’t you sometimes feel like everyone else is moving forward while you’re standing still? That feeling is familiar to most of us.

I’d say we shouldn’t compare ourselves too much to our peers—everyone has their own timeline, and that doesn’t mean we’re falling behind. However, observing others isn’t always a bad thing. As long as we don’t engage in toxic comparison, it can actually motivate us.

So maybe the better phrase is: “Meaningless comparison is the thief of joy.”

However, at the end of the day still we once again should consider that we are in different life circles.

3. What do you really want?

This, to me, is the most important question. What truly feels rewarding for you? If you can answer that, you don’t even need to worry much about the first two questions.

If you like having a large circle and don’t care much about intimacy—then that’s completely fine. Or maybe you don’t compare yourself to others because you know who you are and what you want. To illustrate, if you know that you are going to be a lecturer, popularity of entrepreneurship among your colleagues will not make you feel that you have to catch up with them.

In conclusion, I wanted to highlight these questions because they’ve been on my mind lately. We face them almost every day, and they have notable impact on us. In this respect, by answering these kind of questions we can be a bit happier and will be bale to pursue the path we truly want.