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Rose76
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Default Oct 10, 2024 at 10:07 PM
 
You have literally said that most people are not much good. That is simply not true. There are rotten people in this world. Anyone you happen to meet could be one of them. But there are also lots of decent people all around us. Many of them are just as good-hearted as you consider yourself to be. There are even people out there who are better than you and better than me.

If you have the idea that most people are not as decent as you, that is going to color how you come across.

I don't think you really believe that you're better than everybody else. More likely, you've had some disappointments that have left you very discouraged. I know the feeling. Be careful not to overgeneralize, which is a very human tendency, especially when we've felt let down.

Pushing back against the tendency to overgeneralize is taught in cognitive-behavioral therapy. You could explore that with a therapist. Or there are lots of self-help books about CBT that can foster taking a more balanced view of other people and other things in general.

I do have a tendency to think along the lines you've described. When I get into that frame of mind, I ask myself if it's really likely that I'm better or nicer than "most people." I can't look in the mirror and say "Yes" with a straight face.

Knowing another person takes a good deal of time spent with them. As introverts, we don't get to know all that many people. So we make big judgements, based on very little evidence. Any person you run into may be an angel or a jerk . . . or something in between. You don't know what "most people" are like. Nor do I. However, when I give people a chance, I've had some pleasant surprises. It's good to remember that other people have had hurtful experiences of their own. They don't know whether they can trust you, or me. So they may have their guard up, until we demonstrate that we are not phony or disloyal.
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Thanks for this!
divine1966