81 PR Some people prefer to spend most of their time alone. Others like to be with friends of the time. Do you prefer to spend your time alone or with friends? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

If I had to choose between spending time alone or spending time with my friends, I’d rather be alone. I need this time alone to “recharge my batteries,” to re-energize my mind and spirit. Being with friends can be fun and can help you get through the rough spots in life, but it’s the time alone, I think, that forms you as a person.

When I’m alone, I have time to think about my goals and to develop a strategy to reach them. Of course, I can think about these things when I’m with others, but it’s harder to concentrate in a crowd. Being alone gives me the quiet time to really think about my life and what I want to do with it.

Being by myself is also a good way to listen to the silence and relax completely. When I’m alone I can practice meditation and lower my stress level. That’s a very good way to sharpen my powers of concentration. Too much time with friends means filling my mind with a lot of chitchats. That’s enjoyable for a moment, but can dull my concentration.

Being with other people can also distort my view of things. It’s easy sometimes to become too worried about what other people think of me, or what other people have that I don’t. When I’m alone I have time to step back. I can see the real value of things, without being influenced by the opinions of my friends.

It’s natural to want to be with other people, but I find the time I spend alone is more valuable to me in the long run.

82 PR Some people prefer to spend time with one or two close friends. Others choose to spend time with a large number of friends. Compare the advantage of each choice. Which of these two ways of spending time do you prefer? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

We all need to have friends, and I think the more friends we have the better. Friendship helps us learn how to trust others, what to expect from others, and how to profit from experiences. I want to have a lot of friends around me so I can learn more about myself from different people.

I want to have people around me that I trust and that I can depend on. We all need friends, both in times of trouble and in times of happiness. If I only have a few friends, it is possible that they might not be available if I need them. If I have a lot of friends, it is more likely that they will be able to share my troubles or my good fortune.

I want to have people around me that surprise me. If I have just one or two friends, I know what to expect from them. I know how they will react. If I have a lot of friends around me, I will always be surprised. Each will have a different way of reacting to a situation. Observing this reaction and responding to it will teach me how to deal with strangers whom I might meet.

I want to have people around me that can teach me something about life. If I only have a couple of friends, I will know everything about them very quickly. If I have hundreds of friends, think what I will learn. Each day they’ll teach me something new and show me a new way of thinking about something.

I have a lot to learn in life, so I want as many people as possible to help me. I want a lot of friends to show me how to have a good time. I’ll do the same for them.