Being Mean

I have been really fortunate to have some amazing and awesome friends.  I mean, over the top, there for me for anything, fun to hang out with, understanding, sympathetic, empathetic, there through the rough times and smiling through the good times kind of friends.

I also have a great, um, variety? of friends.  Friends that are into different things, different activities, who like different stuff.  And that's totally awesome.  I like that.  I enjoy that there are different thoughts on different aspects of parenting and all that it entails.  I enjoy hearing different aspects and opinions on parenting, life, marriage, movies and of course 90210 ;).

Because of the diversity amongst my friends, I don't expect everyone to be BFFs.  It just isn't realistic and if nothing else, I am a realist (with a dreamer's heart ;)  ).  However, I think there is a huge difference in not liking or caring for another and just being downright mean.

I do not understand why one hopes to be mean.  I don't get why a person sets out to be mean.  I do not understand the thought process behind it.  I do not understand what they hope to accomplish.  I could never understand feeling good about making someone else feel bad?

In the past I've been mean.  And really, I didn't like how it made me feel.  So, I changed.  Life is so short and the world can be so cruel, I would rather be one making each day brighter not being that nagging annoying part that someone looks at and sees red.

What really, really hurts is when friends are mean to another or really, when one person is just pure mean to another without being attacked or committing a wrong doing.  I guess I just think that out of nothing more than respect for me, people would be nice to one another.  Maybe I live in a fantasy world of puppy dogs and rainbows, but I hate knowing that a person is hurting because of the choices another made in their actions.  And while I hate to judge a person, I just can't help it in situations like that.

I really do hope that as we progress as human beings, we learn empathy.  And not only learn it, but practice it and teach it to our children.