When you do follow someone else’s lead, do you still maintain your own sense of who you are?

At the same time, I speak of independence from the larger group, I have to admit my attachment to my best friend since the time we had been five years old. I tended to follow her. She went to public school, so in ninth grade my father let me switch over to the same public school. She wanted to be part of a group of friends, so I was also friendly with them. In tenth grade she wanted to join ROTC for the guys, so I also joined. Even though I knew I would never ever be joining the military for the same simple reason of not wanting to be told how to act and dress. I did put up with the ROTC uniform on certain days and enjoy carrying the flag during parades and prior to football games. And the two military balls I attended were exquisite. And the guys were a nice bunch of people.