Coming from a modern, middle-class gesellschaft community living in the foothills of the Cascades, I have rarely, until now, reflected on how I became what I am I am. I have held many statuses in my life including: fisherman, photographer, student, mountaineer, son, friend, boyfriend, worker. Statuses come and go, but the two statuses achieved that I hope will stay with me for life are photographer and climber. As a climber, the role I am supposed to play is one of safety and competence. People expect me to know how to use the equipment and get them home safely. To maintain climber status, I must train rigorously. This leads to role conflict. My girlfriend is not a climber and expects me to be home on my days off. Climbing is a big part of my life and I have to try to balance the two, but sometimes climbing wins. This creates a big conflict between me, my boyfriend, and the climber. Being part of the climbing community makes me feel like this is the group for me. Using the Internet has allowed me to become part of the social network of climbers to spread the word about new places to climb and meet new groups to go climbing with. Sometimes we have several groups that get together where half the people don't know each other. This can lead to potential tension in your role, as you are expected to move from being a new acquaintance to being a trusted observer. My master status was as a photographer, but since I got sick with Lyme disease four years ago, I've become the guy with Lyme disease. Chronically ill people are never looked at in the same way again. Take Michael “Magic” Johnson, the basketball player. His master status was that of a professional basketball player. Now people just see him as the man who had HIV. As a p...... middle of paper...... the norm I broke was shoplifting. I was about eleven years old and a friend and I were caught stealing baseball cards. Having my mother come pick me up was embarrassing enough. I thought the store owner was kind enough not to call the police. I was no longer allowed in the store and was punished for a long time. Although this is not considered a serious offense under the laws of our society, it scared me enough to never shoplift again. If I hadn't been caught, this could have become a habit as an adult and I could have reached the status of a thief. Adults are a little more difficult to straighten than children. We all have roles to play and fulfill. For some, the highest status may be that of a concierge, and for others, that of an Oscar winner. Some roles are large and others small, but all are equally important to the functioning of a healthy society..