Assholes

I was doing some reading yesterday and today. I won't mention any names, and why bother? Assholes live all around the world. Consider it a general piece.

Some people just aren't happy. You can tell them, sometimes, by the way they treat others most of the time. Show me a person who seems to criticize other people at least as much as he does anything else, and I can just about assure you one of two (or a combo) things is happening. 1. They are trying to reduce others to produce lift in their self-worth (as perceived by others, themselves, or both) or 2. They just aren't happy and don't want anybody else to be, and as a result, they don't want anybody else to succeed.

There's nothing you can do about those people, really, except avoid them as much as possible.

Little story. Two years ago at my mom's 70th bday party, one of my sisters and I made a pact. Not sure why we did it then, but we did; we decided that we absolutely must try to peacefully push negative people out of our lives and block new negative ones from getting in. Negativity is like a contagious cancer. It just spreads. It's ugly.

I'm not a person of extremes, either. After all, what if a friend is complaining and needs a shoulder? That's negative. Do you abandon them? Of course not. I'm talking about people who just sit there like a steaming crab, bubbling at the mouth in their own poison, waiting for the next target to spit it on. Get them out of your life, and I swear it, you will not only feel a lot of weight come off of your shoulders, but you'll begin to see, maybe for the first time ever, that happiness is attainable.

It really is, even if you have things to do/feel every day that are dreadful, you can take those in stride far easier if you don't have the poison-people wiping their ugliness on you. Try it. It could be somebody close; a parent even. If it is, just gradually talk to them less, telling them (if you want to be overt) that you are trying to keep a positive outlook on an already difficult life and it helps you to avoid hearing negative things about other people and about the world (I'm not talking about ignoring the news or going into denial; I'm talking about avoiding people who always have something negative to say about other people, places, or things).

If you're not happy, this "launch" can make you happy. If you are already happy, this "launch" can make you extremely happy. Give them a chance if you want; tell those negative people that part of your new outlook on life is trying to keep negative "statements," (therefore not indicting them) out of your life so you're really trying to surround yourself with more neutral or, gawd forbid, positive people.

If you trust anything I ever say--only one thing, ever--please trust me on this. Get the poison-people out. :)

Kev