Cigarettes and me

There's a conflictive type of relation between cigarettes and me. I'm opposed to them, as I consider them harmful, but at the same time it fires up an intolerant side in me, when I always try to be as tolerant as possible.

Before I continue, let's start at the beginning. My relation with cigarettes started when I was about 12 years old. Some school mates were starting smoking as a sign of rebellion and 'maturity'. So, faced with that, I made some simple and straightforward thinking. I was no genius, nevertheless it's still a reasoning that fills me with pride. 'I know cigarettes are harmful. I also know some people like to smoke. So, if I try it, I migh end liking something that's harmful, it would be better not to try it'. That was it. Thanks to that I never tried one, even when I really like fire.

So, I never tried it and yet I'm thinking about it. It's because through time I've had smoker friends, and I find me battling with myself, because by accepting them I ended up accepting their habit, that harmed me.

It's a bad situation, I can't give up friends, they are important to me, yet something they do harms me. It's even worse. Can I stand quietly when they smoke when I know they are harming themselves too?

If they are our friends, shouldn't we try to help them when they are hurting themselves and us? Wouldn't that nagging make them stop being our friends or start evading us without knowing why?

This kind of things followed me trough a lot of friendships, but time has passed down and lately I'm finding myself less tolerant that I was. Perhaps it has to do with the validation non smokers felt when anti tobacco laws were passed down, perhaps it only has to do with growing up and learning to take a stand in things that really matter. I really don't know, but the fact remains, I've turned from non smoker to anti tobacco enforcer.