Should “Popularity” Matter to You as An Adult?

It’s been decades since I was in high school. Since leaving, I had forgotten about the popularity paradigms that plagued most awkward teenagers throughout their adolescent years.

Yes, since then, occasionally I have been pressured to drink when I haven’t wanted to, and on a rare moment, I see people seeking to be, look and act cool.

But, really, I haven’t given it much thought since I was 17.

That is, until I went on a trip to Ecuador, paired with a bunch of strangers, ranging from ages 17 to sixties plus.

At first it started off like most trips, with polite banter and your usual “feeling-each-other-out” conversations. …