Influence

When my brothers and I were young, influence pretty much flowed in one direction - from me to my brothers. Whatever music, movies, or video games I was into they also wanted to experience. It’s not that they didn’t also have their own likes and dislikes. They did like some stuff I didn’t and disliked some of my choices. Overall, however, I probably played a larger role in influencing my brothers than even my parents.

For example, I am pretty sure that my brothers would have never gotten into Anime had I not introduced them to it while I was in Middle School. I also introduced them to Christian Rock and Rap music. Had I not found Monty Python & The Search for The Holy Grail funny, they might not have been introduced to British Comedy until much later.

As we’ve gotten older, our preferences have started to diverge. Dan told me he no longer likes Monty Python. I’ve taken photos since I was about six but really got into photography when I was in college so they usually don’t do more than simple snapshots. Both my brothers despise rap.

But another thing also started happening, now the influence goes both ways. For example, I’ve always listened to Alternative rock here and there, but my brothers have influenced me to give it more of a listen. Now rock and pop rock ar eon the tops of my playlists. What started with me listening to Gold Finger and Lucky Boys Confusion over Christmas Break because it’s all that was on the computer, has resulted in my current favorite artists being Anberlin, Thousand Foot Krutch, Lostprophets, and Fallout Boy. I’ve also gone back to music I had previously dismissed.

And I continue to influence them, for example, Dave’s fondness for creating videos.

So, basically, as we grow older we become even more individualistic while at the same time continuing a bond of influence which makes us unique as a set of brothers.