I have realized lately that you need to mend with people in your daily life even though they hardly emulate the principles and virtues that you follow. This needs a lot of patience , its foolhardy to expect people to treat you in the same way as you do.
Comments
I’m at the airport and this just made me giggle, this so could have been me who wrote this. My own personal sense of morals and principles is my hill to die on. I constantly ask myself how the hell do people get to full grown adults the way they are.
I am beginning to think though I surely don’t follow my own rules every second of every day and I probably am being way too much of a hard ass with no understanding for others. I am so stubborn and proud of it though I don’t see how I truly feel deep down changing anytime soon even though I’d probably be a much calmer happier person if I did.
I don’t pretend my virtues are better or worse than anyone else’s. They’re the best proximation of “right” based on limited information.
I do believe people can demonstrate a lack of virtues, lack of morals/ethics. That is something to be wary of. But if a man has a view different from mine, I am often draw to that difference rather than rejecting it outright.
Accept? no, I accept everyone exactly as they are. Now *respect* on the other hand.
Some people are assholes more often, others try to restrict the time they spend doing so. Not everybody does this. That’s all there is to it 🫣
Traveling to other countries and challenging my own assumptions about how things are “supposed to be” has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. I’ve grown into someone I wouldn’t have recognized two decades ago, and that’s largely because I’ve been forced to rethink the frameworks I once believed were universal.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how much cultural context shapes people’s decisions, beliefs, and even their sense of what options are available to them. What might seem obvious or empowering to me—whether it’s seeking help, walking away, or standing up for oneself—might not even register as an option for someone raised in a different environment. That doesn’t mean they’re weak or misguided; it just means they’re navigating a different system, with different stakes and expectations.
This is why I often hesitate before jumping into judgment or advice-giving. I’ve come to realize that situations that seem black-and-white at first often carry layers I can’t see. What looks like inaction might actually be fear, conditioning, or even loyalty. What looks like control might stem from cultural values around family, safety, or reputation. The reality is often far more nuanced than it appears on the surface.
Even something like “seeking therapy” varies in meaning from one culture to another. In some communities, it means seeing a licensed psychologist; in others, it might mean speaking to a religious leader, elder, or someone trusted in the community. In places where mental health support is stigmatized or misunderstood, people find whatever outlet they can—sometimes limited, sometimes unconventional.
All of this has taught me to approach people’s stories with curiosity rather than certainty. Empathy isn’t just about feeling for someone—it’s about recognizing that your lens isn’t the only one. It’s about holding space for complexity, even when the situation doesn’t fit neatly into your own worldview.
I don’t always get it right. But I try to pause, ask better questions, and listen harder. Because the more I’ve seen of the world, the more I understand how much I still don’t know.
“They dont share the same core values as me so fuck em” isn’t exactly the mindset. It’s more so the way in which they express them or their inability to have an open mind and try to see things the other way that causes me to immediately shut down. Like others have said, sometimes we break our own rules. But theres some self awareness in that, and its the lack of self awareness and the ability to see how your actions affect others that i don’t put up with