The Quandary of Life
Enough about office drama, allow me to get back to my deep and dramatic thoughts about life. I always feel the need to preface these types of blogs by acknowledging the fact that I am well aware this is not necessarily what the people want to hear about. However, I think I might have some interesting thoughts and perspectives to share. And in case any of you forgot, no one is required to read this, but I'm glad you are.
Most recently, the concept of disliking people has been on the forefront of my mind. It feels mean to dislike someone. But why? There are billions of people on planet Earth with unique sets of personality traits, making it nearly impossible for everyone to get along. I am absolutely someone who takes it personally when I know another person doesn’t like me, and I think that’s just a part of human nature. But I know I shouldn’t feel this way. As someone who is well aware of the fact that not everyone is going to mesh, I have no idea why it bothers me when I feel as though people don’t like me. And on the flip, I don’t think anyone should care if they know that I am not their biggest fan. My opinion on someone else is not indicative of whether or not they are a good person, and vice versa. I may be a little too chatty for someone, and they may just be a little too quiet for me. That doesn’t mean that my chattiness is a negative trait and that certainly doesn’t mean their quietness is a negative trait.
The concept of disliking people leads me into my next thought. What makes someone “fake”? On numerous occasions, I have found myself pondering whether or not I have been fake towards different individuals. I think the line between acting fake and simply being a nice person is very thin. I don’t necessarily ever worry about how other people interact with me, but I worry about how I may come across to other people. For example, there are coworkers that I may not be the biggest fan of, but I still think they deserve support and praise. I don’t hate any of my coworkers, but let’s pretend I do. Would it make me appear fake to tell them they’re doing a good job or I liked a piece of content they produced? Two things could be true at the same time- I could hate someone but also admire the work they put in.
And to peel back the last layer of this onion (for now), I think it's important to not only acknowledge that different perspectives exist, but learn to understand them. Part of the reason that one cannot make everyone happy is because everyone has different perspectives, shaped by their different experiences. I personally find it exceptionally rude to constantly show up late to plans, whereas someone else may view it as a very minor inconvenience. And I think our perspectives are also shaped by what we decide to place emphasis on. Certain people place a heavier emphasis on being the most present friend anyone could ask for, whereas someone else may place a heavier emphasis on treating everyone around them with equal amounts of kindness. Obviously they’re both important, but typically one takes up more room in someone’s mind than the other.
Okay fine, one last layer for today. Why do people seem to be opposed to shifting their own opinions and learning from others? We are all supposed to learn and grow with time. There are plenty of topics that I have strong opinions on. However, if someone raises a counterpoint I am almost always willing to listen and reconsider my position on the subject. With that being said, there have definitely been quite a few times where I’ve allowed my stubbornness to get in the way of accepting different perspectives. And recently, that is something I have tried to work on. If someone is unhappy with my behavior, I no longer feel the need to get defensive. I feel like I’ve recently developed a stronger ability to show empathy and make a serious effort to understand why people feel certain ways or act certain ways. Getting to the “why” behind peoples’ actions and opinions have been one of the biggest game-changers for me.
And to keep the good vibes rolling, allow me to end this with a deep and dramatic overarching theme. We’re all human and most of us (not all) are doing our best to strive and thrive. We are all wired differently, and none of us can read each others’ minds. Give other grace and accept the fact that not everyone will see eye to eye. And as always, have a lovely day everyone!
PSA for those who can't get enough of my drama- highly recommend taking a gander at my TikTok!