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

 

[VulpineVengeance]

oh naurrr

I don't like people at all and would rather stay in my shell, but I feel more comfortable interacting online ^^

 

[Rainy.Nights]

I like nice people with good intentions. I dislike people who are constantly rude and/or dishonest. Unfortunately I have to say I've encountered far more of the latter than the former in my personal life. I definitely relate to the other comments about feeling wary around unfamiliar people and feeling exhausted from attempting to socialize. Whether someone is good or bad I think is just in their nature, you can't change that so best to stay away from negative influences. I want to believe that some people genuinely try to be good, however few it may be. I'm glad that people on here seem easy to get along with.

 

[Beanz]

okay so i don’t think everyone is inherently evil. i used to think that way and it was so bad for my mental health. of course there are awful people, but i think most people are neutral but make bad choices because they do so without thinking or aren’t specifically thinking about you.

i don’t like starting conversations because it’s kind of awkward for me but i like to think most people have good intentions and are friendlier than they look. now i’m not saying to approach the random man in a back alley but i think believing that basically every single person on earth is evil is kind of pessimistic.

 

[BTCircley]

I'm often in a shell, but sometimes I'm much better at contacting online.

 

[Romaki]

I do, but I don't think people like me. Like they can tell that's something inherently wrong with me.

 

[VulpineVengeance]

I do, but I don't think people like me. Like they can tell that's something inherently wrong with me.

I feel the same

 

[QueenCobra]

I do, but I don't think people like me. Like they can tell that's something inherently wrong with me.

Yeah. I also think it’s weird when some people say they don’t trust someone who doesn’t have many friends. Like…whaaat? I mean, honestly, it’s better to share the more personal stuff with a small group of people.

 

[-Blue-]

Is this people as a whole or singular as in being with others? I feel like yes there are some really horrible people out there, but I also feel like there's more good people out there than horrible people. It's just we tend to overlook the good things in our lives more than the bad things.

Take for example, people tend to go online to review something they bought if it was a bad experience, but if the product did the job as advertised or went above and beyond, they're less likely to review it. We tend to get held up on those negative instances.

 

[Lunar Rover]

Mixed feelings.

Humans are self-contradictory. For every flaw there is, an often opposite merit exists. It's hard, if not impossible to give a definitive answer.

 

[Suguri]

I can't think of the positives without considering the negatives, and vice versa.

It's so complicated, sometimes it's hard for me to put everything into words. But I know I can be wary towards everyone, unless they prove to me that they're nice and won't do any harm.

I think most of us are well-intentioned though. I don't get how the word "humanity" is associated with negativity. I always think to myself whenever it comes up, "we can do so much better than that, guys."

Again, it's very complicated.

 

[Kitsuragi]

people are just as capable of bad things as they are of good things. some are naturally inclined to do more bad things, and vice versa. as a general blanket statement, i do like people, but i fear them all the same.

 

[Doo]

I really don’t understand people. I feel like I’m not even human myself and I’m just pretending so people accept me. I hate that I have to do that. I wish the general population could be more accepting. But there are people who I do like, of course. So it depends on the person. I suppose I just hate being a person

 

[lasagne_of_death]

I like people. They're fun to be around, and I definitely couldn't live & survive on my own. I acknowledge that everyone has faults & that everyone has good aspects aswell. I believe people are born inherently good, but have the capacity to do evil, & how they act is the outcome of their nature, upbringing, circumstances, & experiences.

Of course some people are horrible. But even though I say they're horrible, I mean that they've done horrible things. If they make no effort to change, then I believe that's when they become bad people, but if they're making an effort to change & be better, they've just done bad things.

I think everyone can change, for good or for bad. I think everyone deserves forgiveness, but only if they want & try to make up for what they've done. Forgiveness can be given to anyone, regardless of how the wrongdoer feels, but for those not ready to forgive so easily, the wrongdoer has to make an effort.

Forgiveness doesn't mean giving your trust to them though. If someone has hurt you or stolen something, anything, from you you definitely are not obliged to give them your trust again. Forgiveness is given, trust is earned. No one should get away from something they've done wrong without punishment.

Wow. This turned into a rant that has nothing to do with the question asked

TLR I think people are inherently good, but have the ability to do bad, and the choice to do either.