Dear Richard,
Friends are very important in our life. They influence our thinking and behaviour significantly. One could learn good things from the good friends. Similarly, one could learn bad things from those bad friends.
Meng Ke (©s¶a) was a very famous philosopher in China. He succeeded Confucius work and was recognized as the greatest teacher after Confucius. When Meng Ke was young, he and his mother lived near a market. Everyday, Meng Ke went to the market and played with his friends there. They acted themselves like butchers and hawkers. Meng Ke's mother didn't like his son grown up in a market. They then moved to a much quiet place near a graveyard. There, Meng Ke met some other friends. When they had nothing to do, they went to the graveyard. They followed the funeral ceremony procedures and played the funeral music. Meng Ke's mother still didn't like it. She moved again. This time she moved close to a school. Meng Ke met friends at school. They studied everyday. Meng Ke respected learning. He played with friends who had the same interest in learning.
Richard, Meng Ke could not have been a great teacher if he didn't met friends who liked learning. Do you get some ideas from the story on how to select friends?
With love, Dad