You Don’t Have to Like Everyone
There’s nothing wrong with keeping your tribe small.
One simple rule governs all my friendships. If someone can kill my buzz, I don’t hang out with them. Take my boss. Halfway through his second beer, he turns into a long-winded Captain Obvious. His membership in the wealthy one percent doesn’t help.
When his guard comes down, he talks about his struggles. Like some cosmetic repair to his three-story house that’s taking too long. He makes our first world problems look like a life on the frontier.
At Happy Hour, we all sit there and smile at him until he leaves.
Or until we leave.
After he’s out of earshot, I say, “Dammit, now I have to get drunk all over again.” Everyone nods.
Most of us feel obligated to pretend we like everyone. It’s polite. Mr. Rogers and Barney the dinosaur said so. Maybe. But you can treat someone with respect without lying to yourself.
You’re allowed to dislike people.
As long as you understand why. As long as you don’t go out of your way to hurt them. That makes all the difference.
In fact, you should dislike people. And you should think about the people you dislike. It can help you figure yourself out. Most of us don’t like…
