Who is the most influential person in your life?

Now if we took this dictionary definition of influence, we can see how answering the question may pose some challenges. Smart alecks roll their eyes in disdain when they see this question on some Scholastic Aptitude Test (*ahem*) due to its sheer simplicity. What if there was no ONE influential person in one’s life and instead, there were many individuals? Will markers dock points off their grades simply because they provided too many people? What if they answered that taking everything into consideration, it is the influence of many individuals that shape a person and that to single out a individual would be to discount all the contrbutions of others. The question’s simplicity is also another reason why it becomes so hard to provide a single, concrete answer for it. They say the inability to provide a single answer shows indecision on the part of the writer but I beg to differ. There are many decisions that cannot be made solely by a yes/no answer. This is one of them.

Fortunately, this is not a college entrance exam nor is it a scholarship essay. The following forces I believe have shaped my life, mostly for the better. Imagine what I’d be like without them, oh the depravity!

• “Jess”/Kuya Jess (brother Jess in Filipino) aka. Jesus – I may not be the most religious person around but I still believe that a higher entity exists (and yes atheists, I actually believe in God). Before He figured a prominent place in my life I was a very wayward child with a lot of inner turmoil, unable to reconcile the dissonance between me and the outside world. Thankfully some sense was slapped into me and because of that, I’ve earned an even greater appreciation for the bountiful blessings that surround me (parents included, but they get a separate dot on the list).
• My parents – the token answer for sure, but not without reason! Their undying love and support have carried me throughout my living years and they have always emphasized the value of a good education and how it prepares you for what life unexpectedly shoves your way. Honesty and trust were values that were often extolled in my household – we were always taught never to lie our way through life because of the repercussions it can bring. My parents have had a large influence on my work ethic as well because both of them are self-made businesspeople who have had their share of woes but always bounce back. Lastly, from them I gained  two very important life lessons. One: there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Two: failure is a normal part of life, it’s what you do with it that makes all the difference.
• Advertisers – They exercise a lot of influence over my purchasing decisions and have guided me to buy nearly everything from beaver hats to body lotion. Damn you advertisers and your witty ads.