Don't Be A Hater.

By TLS

Don’t be a hater.

We have enough problems in this world, especially these days. So, don’t be a hater in life, please.

This unfortunately is a very common trend any more. When in conversation it seems far too many people will simply bitch and complain about a subject or a policy. Far rarer is the person who will actually put at least two or three seconds worth of thought into a position before opening their mouths and vomiting out an opinion.

Why? Well, I’m pretty sure this has been a common trait among people for hundreds or even thousands of years. What I find frustrating about this trait today is that in the past people were very limited on information availability. Today however information is pervasive, perhaps even too pervasive. I’ve written about this before, increased access to information does not make for a better informed population. However, it would still be nice if that were the case.

This all to pervasive habit of snap judgment, or less than well informed voicing of opinion, is very unfortunate. There are no shortage of subjects hater’s love to hate on either. Social, cultural, political, any other life problems and troubles that we deal with daily, how road crews paint lines on the highways, it’s all fair game.

Let’s try something; when in your next conversation, you feel an overwhelming urge to dump on something, take a few moments and consider why that position may exist. That reflection may not make the other view anymore relevant to you but at least you may now understand the why behind the alternate view.

Humans are very diverse, even though we tend to group together into like-minded categories, there is still an enormous amount of variation. What is ideal for me may be the worst situation possible for you. But that doesn’t mean you have to live in my shoes. Most of the time we truly can just get along even with our differences.

So the next time you're in a conversation with others, take a moment to reflect. Because you may be the outlier in that group and they are making accommodations for you.

So here’s my challenge, the next time you’re ready to unleash a snap judgment, stop. Reflect. Consider the why behind it all. We don’t have to agree, but we don’t have to be haters either. If this resonates, share it with someone who could use the reminder, because reflection is contagious, and the world needs more of it.