I have suffered through countless encounters that I had zero interest in. I have heard the same stories time and time again from friends. I have listened to narcissistic monologues that seemed to have no end in sight. Because that is what it is to be human. You have to exist among other humans, and you have to treat them with respect if you want to be respected.
I, like most people, go through life doing things that I do not necessarily care to do from time to time. I make sacrifices for people I care about and even for people I do not like because that is what is realistic.
Everything and everyone can’t be interesting to me all the time. The world is not tailored to me and my preferences. However, I recognize that I need to maintain a certain level of respect for others. If I want to be treated with respect, do I also not have to respect others? Is this not the golden rule?
I thought that this was sort of the price that we paid as humans; sometimes, we must be there for others when we don’t want to, if we want them to do the same for us. Not everything I say is interesting, and sometimes, I retell a story or two. But I still hope that the people around me would at least listen and pretend to care.
I am not asking for special treatment or blind agreement. I prefer people who tell it like it is. I am an honest person, and I like honest people. But I also like respectful people, and recently, I have heard people say “I don’t care” in response to others talking about something that matters to them. This might be my biggest pet peeve.
News flash: I don’t care about half of the things people say to me. Most people do not care about the grade you got, the guy you like, or how late you stayed up last night. But I do not need to let everyone know when a conversation does not have me on the edge of my seat. Not everything is meant to entertain me; that’s okay! Others’ thoughts and needs are still worthy of my attention.
Now, do not get me wrong, I am not saying to waste your life appealing to others and trying to make them happy at your own expense. I am just saying, whatever happened to a little bit of respect, decorum, and common courtesy?
People love to flaunt their “IDGAF” attitudes. They like to call themselves nonchalant online and to tell themselves that they “don’t owe anyone anything.” I’m sorry, but you DO owe your friend your presence at their birthday party (that’s the bare minimum, by the way). You owe your family your time when they want to hang out with you. You owe your professors your attention.
You owe others respect, and you should care about them. If you think otherwise, you and your attitude can stay far away from me.