How Important Are Your Friends?

Read in today's newspaper about how a guy died from holding a karaoke mike. No, no - there was no electrical fault (that electrocuted him while he was in the karaoke room). No, no - mike is not a guy. Mike = microphone.

It seems that the guy just loved singing. Whilst a few others just loved a bit of peace and quiet.

He hogged the mike. It led to an argument with a few others who had asked him to let go of the mike. And the final result was that he was stabbed to death. A sad and tragic story, but unfortunately true.

Less than two weeks ago, a few of my friends also were holding a mike and merrily croaking (ooops ... I mean, singing - "karaokeing") until 3 a.m. in the morning at a golf and country resort. None of us had any urge to kill any of our friends who were holding the mike. Even if their wives were croaking (there I go again ... I mean "karaokeing"). I mean, we had no urge to kill either them or their wives!

A study reported in the British Medical Journal said that happiness is infectious, and can "ripple" through social groups such as family and friends.

The study's authors (Professor Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School and Professor James Fowler of the University of California) said, "Changes in individual happiness can ripple through social networks and generate large scale structure in the network, giving rise to clusters of happy and unhappy individuals."

"Most important from our perspective is the recognition that people are embedded in social networks and that the health and well-being of one person affects the health and well-being of others."

To you and me, what the above study means (in not so erudite language) is that if you mix with good people, you become a good person. You mix with criminals, you will become a criminal.

The moral of the story? Who your friends are, will determine who you will be. Mix with positive-minded-friends, you become positive-minded. Mix with loving and caring people, you become a more loving and caring person.

Mix with rich friends, you become rich. O.k., I don't mean that you ask your millionaire friends for a donation of $1,000,000, made out in your name. But you will be able to gain their advice on important investments. And your thinking will be like them. Remember Napoleon Hill's book, "Think and Grow Rich"? You see the connexion now?

See how important your friends are? WHAT? You have not a single soul in this world who is your friend? You are presently a hermit living in a cave in the deep jungles of "Malaysia - Truly Asia", and will only be returning to civilisation in 3 years' time?

What advice can I give you? I understand that you are very shy, and will run away from your own shadow. Well, get all the classic motivation books. They can be your first friends. You will follow my advice? Thank you. I love you!

I wish you Success in your undertakings, and Good Health and Wealth to you and your family. Take care!

P.S. A few days after the croaking session above, one of my friends (a homeopathic practitioner) emailed/forwarded a message about how to immediately help a stroke victim, using an alternative/traditional approach (i.e. non-conventional medical practice). Another friend who is a neurosurgeon (he operates on your brain if a blood vessel bursts there) said that the traditional advice was "rubbish". Do you think they will start attacking each other? Whether with words ... or knives (or surgeon's scalpels ... or operating saws)?

P.P.S. An opportunity to spend five days having discussions with a multi-millionaire is offered to you. At his exclusive, beautiful home on top of a hill in Hawaii, with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean and the islands. Limited to 20 persons only. Would you grap the opportunity? For a $20,000 fee. What's your comment?