We Affect Each Other

There's a song that's been on my mind a lot lately, For Good from the Broadway Musical Wicked. As I understand it, not having seen the musical in full, For Good comes near the end of the musical, when the two main characters, about to part ways, sing about the effect that they've had on each other. 

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you.

I think this may be more true than we realize. We all have an effect on each other, and the people in our lives all have effects on us. These effects are often subtle, and the changes can happen so gradually that we don't realize they're happening, but we are all shaped by those around us, and we have an impact on others as well.

Both of these aspects are important to bear in mind. I makes sense to be aware of how others affect us, so we can choose friends who are a good influence on us. And similarly, we should be careful to ensure that the influence we have on others is a positive one. As long as we are changing people by our existence in their lives, we should try to ensure that we're changing them for the better and that they are doing the same for us.

I don't know whether or not we're led to people for the express purpose of affecting and/or being affected by them, but I know that we affect each other anyway, intentionally or not. Knowing that, we should be aware of the affect we have on others and the affects they have on us, and in both cases, we should try to ensure that the effects we have on each other for the better.