Do you like people?

[jadetine]

I think people make choices based on their experiences.

I do think most people have been mistreated at some point, and that can lead them to make bad choices, but my personal experience is that despite being wronged or simply being ignored, people are still capable of great acts of kindness and compassion.

I think I do love people and society. There are a great many injustices, but there are also people devoted to setting things right and caring for others. I have a close friend who has been bullied all her life and has never made a long-term friend and has been thrust into adulthood alone... but she chooses to live quietly and kindly and to burden no one and to try her best despite her lonely and somewhat painful history. Her days are a physical and financial struggle, but she still chooses to do good.

I think what is hard for me to stomach is people who live a life of dogma, who do not self-reflect, and continue to choose hatred or prejudice or to act without integrity when given all the opportunities and privilege to "be good". It is sad that this happens. But I also think there are causes or experiences underlying why this happens, and I think hating them is not productive.

I encountered the idea somewhere that you are the sum of the 5 people you keep closest to you. That's also a bit reductive, but I do think social influence is true and knowing that I could influence others by my words and actions, I try to stay true and I think this uplift is totally possible.

My personality type on quizzes always lands directly on the border between introvert and extrovert, but I think my tendencies are more introverted. I do enjoy the company of others, but I do not go out of my way to see and meet people. I think in my youth, school and social functions felt so forced, but as an adult, I don't really care about what others think because I don't have to see them or think about them long-term if I don't want to. Having the autonomy to leave a job or to get away from situations is something I have come to appreciate over time. It can be difficult to extract myself (of course financial dependence is a huge factor), but the fact that it is possible really dawned on me, and maybe has made me not hate people, because most of my time is spent among caring, selfless, cheerful people.

 

[xlisapisa]

generally I like people, unless given a reason not to. I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt before I put them in a category of like or dislike. I do agree though, there are some pretty evil humans out there. but on the flip side I’ve also seen some genuinely kind people before.

 

[Snek]

Sometimes. I am an introvert so my social battery gets low when I am faced with social events especially when they are unwarranted. I think most people are good at heart but most are also shaped by their life experiences and so maybe their value and morals are different. I tend to like those that have similar interests as me but I understand that not everyone share the same interests as me. My husband has different interests but we share many likes and preferences as well. He doesn't play video games. I do. And I think most people are the same way. We tend to not socialise with people that we do not know. We tend to prefer people that we feel we trust or "like" so to speak. I like a majority of people here om TBT. Some I am not as familiar with but my introverted nature pressures me to keep a lot of my personal life private and I think most on here would respect that. So thats why I sometimes like people. I generally like them but my introverted personality prevents me from really sharing more of myself. Hope thats clear enough.

 

[Aerith]

I don't like people a lot of the time. I relate to negative childhood experiences shaping a world view that everyone is selfish, because I spent a lot of my life feeling that way.

But I am also stupidly hopeful and optimistic in ways that surprise even myself. I don't want to view the world the way I have in the past. My experiences are incredibly limited and have been shaped by my environment. And despite (or maybe because of) all the bad that's happened, I have a great empathy for others. A lot of the influential forces in the world are undoubtedly selfish and evil, but in everyday interactions, there's countless good and kindness. So I can't think that people are completely horrible, even if a lot of them have hurt me.

I think people WANT to be good. That doesn't mean they always succeed, but I think people are born with that inherent desire.

 

[Neb]

I have dealt with a lot of really awful people over the years and there's something about me that makes me a target for them. It makes me on guard in most social situations. I don't interact in any environment online anymore unless I "vibe checked" it first and I know my odds of being treated poorly are low. IRL I don't engage with people at all unless they talk to me first, I already know them, or I'm talking with someone giving customer service and I need to interact with them.

I don't think most people are inherently evil, but if they're raised in an environment that harms them they might turn into people who are not pleasant. Some will be intentionally malicious and others will think they're being kind when in reality they're still being jerks.

 

[mewp0ka]

i do and don't. it's weird. while too much human contact makes me feel both frustrated and overwhelmed, i find that i'll experience small bursts of being talkative and wanting to yap about anything that's on my mind to anyone that i can. still not entirely used to that when it happens. meeting certain people who have (almost) all of the same interests as i do makes me extremely proud of coming out my shell and socializing more.

have met some unsavory people, and while it's hard to not let those experiences make me see everyone like that, i also have to remind myself of the absolute gems i've met and have been fortunate to befriend. have noticed that it helps with not seeing everyone as horrible and avoid them because i don't want to get hurt again.

 

[Vhoop]

People are awesome until they become customers :3