26 images that remind you why it's worth getting up in the morning

Absolute perfection. Thanks for sharing, now to send to my Facebook wall.

Satsya said:

Then if you don't mind my asking, what does destroy faith? In your case?

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People being shitty to each other every day. To friends. To strangers.

Of course people are going to be disgusted by atrocities. They are supposed to be. It doesn't make them wonderful people.

Celia Cyanide said:

People being shitty to each other every day. To friends. To strangers.

Of course people are going to be disgusted by atrocities. They are supposed to be. It doesn't make them wonderful people.

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It takes extra effort to be kind. A ton of people I’ve known have become less kind as they’ve gotten older because their previous kindness was met with derision or anger. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know how to manage their anger or worry, and take it out on others instead. Self-perpetuating cycle.

Yeah, people can be shitty and stupid. But people can also be insanely generous, kind, and good. Whenever I lose track of that myself it’s because I’m depressed.

Basic kindness isn't usually hard, but politeness often is. If people aren't taught the basics at a young age, they can go a while not knowing what they're doing wrong. It doesn't help that what is polite varies from region to region.

Basic kindness can become hard if a person gets enough negative feedback. At some point, it becomes easier to stay silent than say a kind word. But this is an extreme.

This isn't a defense of rudeness. Just trying to say that kindness is often taken for granted.

ETA: I don't want to be a downer in this thread, though. Let's get back to happier things.

Indeed, it is very easy to be nice to people, which is why it sucks when people can't do it.

And why it's wonderful when people go the extra mile to be especially kind, as these 26 images demonstrate.

Celia Cyanide said:

Indeed, it is very easy to be nice to people, which is why it sucks when people can't do it.

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I don't think it's easy for many people, and those people are generally very unhappy inside.

I used to be so sensitive to rude or nasty or callous remarks. They would always hurt my feelings, make me think there was something wrong with me, that a person would act that way toward me. When I grew up a little bit, I realized that it wasn't about me at all. It was about them. When I learned to love myself, I stopped caring (as much) about my own hurt feelings... sort of separated myself from the event and looked at the person. Eventually, this led to compassion for those people, because really, what a terrible, miserable way to go about living. And if I could actually remain truly kind in the face of the nastiness or rudeness, it might affect them in a positive way. Might make them stop and realize that it's not "them against the world" or, if they're spoiling for a way to vent their frustrations, they're not getting it here. They're only getting kindness here.***

I think there's a nice person inside everyone. Everyone really truly wants to be accepted and loved. But they don't even love themselves, truly, regardless of what you see in their outward behavior. A conceited person is really full of self-loathing. People are afraid. People lose hope. People feel like failures. People are mistreated. People grow up in shitty situations. And hurting people can hurt people.




***ETA: gotta long way to go yet to do this 100% of the time, but it really is the way I want to be. Because it makes me happy. It feels awesome (so it's actually for totally selfish reasons ).

Thanks for sharing this Zoombie.

crunchyblanket said:

And why it's wonderful when people go the extra mile to be especially kind, as these 26 images demonstrate.

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Oh, I agree. And these images do restore faith in humanity. I just didn't really agree with what Max said as much as everyone else seems to.

I'm going to share a personal story, with a trigger warning. I was sexually abused as a child. I had a friend some years back, whom I trusted, and I shouldn't have. I told him about it. Of course, he said it was awful, and he felt bad for me. A few years later, I found out he had molested two little girls. He still said that what happened to me was awful, because that was what he was supposed to say, and he knew it. He was still a horrible person.

I've never really understood the "faith in humanity" bit. I don't believe humans are inherently good or inherently evil. It's cool when we do nice things and shitty when we're assholes, but I don't really expect kindness or spite from anyone.

I don't have any faith in humanity to be destroyed or restored. That being said, nice post, Zoombie.

thebloodfiend said:

I've never really understood the "faith in humanity" bit. I don't believe humans are inherently good or inherently evil. It's cool when we do nice things and shitty when we're assholes, but I don't really expect kindness or spite from anyone.

I don't have any faith in humanity to be destroyed or restored.

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I'm curious as to what you think causes "nice/good" humans versus "mean/bad" humans. If you don't believe either is inherent in a human being, would it be safe to say that you believe each human being is simply the sum of his or her experiences? And... are human beings at all inherently different or unique in the way they respond to situations? And if you think so, why do you think that is? Or is it all random? Why do different people respond differently to the same situations?

I simply don't believe we're born inherently good or evil or nice or mean or whatever.

As for causes, use your imagination. I'm not interested in any nature vs nurture debate, tbh. I tend to veer towards the blank slate theory.

The rest -- that's too many questions for me to answer with any deep thought at the moment. Unique, yes? Is that uniqueness particularly special? Not IMO. Genetics probably comes into play with reactions, too. It's all pretty complex and it doesn't simply boil down to born evil or good. Some people, due to certain traits, probably have a greater capacity to commit evil acts, but I wouldn't say that makes them inherently evil. And, vice-versa, I wouldn't say that makes them inherently good. Environment, genetics, etc... all contributing factors that make us who we are. Not randomness.

I agree with you on the blank slate theory. I'd probably add a bit of "goodness" in each new life, at least from the standpoint of non-evilness. And mental illnesses, such as psychopathy, don't equate to evil, IMO. They're illnesses.

I think there might be some sort of influence toward evil or good, and I don't know if that's genetics or randomness or some actual separate goodness or evilness causes it. I'm torn. Like, if someone is cruel to you, you can respond with, or continue, the cruelty (which seems so... logical, on the face of it), or you can (somehow) grasp that there is such a thing as good, and pursue that anyway.

That's where I sort of marvel at why people choose different paths. I don't understand. I like to get input from other people, and thanks for yours, bloodfiend.

Celia: I'm sorry you had that experience. I can see why what was said would bother you.

Satsya said:

Celia: I'm sorry you had that experience. I can see why what was said would bother you.

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I would not say it bothers me. Only that I don't think it's that significant that people aren't happy about horrible things. It takes more than that for me to have faith in humanity, I guess.

I was holding up until I saw that last image of the kid cuddling the cat. Damn you, cute animals!

This thread made me think of something I hesitated to post, because it sounds so 1970s touchy-feely, which it is, and because I can't explain it well. One day when I was a teenager, I heard a speaker on PBS (I think he was known as the Love Doctor or something) talk about "lovers and haters," the latter not the Jerry Springer usage. I don't remember exactly how he framed it, but he said that too often the lovers let the haters control them. So, if you're walking down the street and you say "hello" to everyone you see and give them a big smile, you keep doing it if you get back smiles and hellos. But if someone is mean to you, and you don't greet the next stranger, you've let the "hater" control you.

I'm not saying it well, and it's pretty basic, but it stuck with me and truly has made a huge difference in how I live. If someone snaps at me or tries to make me feel bad about something, it doesn't work. If I smile at eight people, and they all snarl at me, I'm going to keep smiling. If someone tries to hurt my feelings, it's rarely going to work. As I said earlier, being disabled has made my life a pretty constant reminder of how wonderful most people are, but every so often, I run into someone who thinks people with physical challenges should just stay home so we don't inconvenience them (and I do my absolute best to avoid being in the way or holding up a line). All they are to me is the exception that proves the rule.

Lyv said:

One day when I was a teenager, I heard a speaker on PBS (I think he was known as the Love Doctor or something) ...

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I bet it was Leo Buscaglia.

I'm glad you are still smiling, Lyv.

Thanks, Zoombie. I think we all needed that.

I think I started crying at image 11 and didn't really stop.

I don't think any human is predisposed to evil or to good. No human is truly either one, anyway. Any action can be deemed good or evil for an individual, and it is the choice of whether or not you go through with the action that defines you. Anyone can think evil thoughts, but the thoughts are meaningless without the action that accompanies them.

Essentially, the root of the decision lies in whether or not you value yourself above those others your actions will affect. If you don't, you can make a decision clearly, without the filter of your own desires obscuring it; if you do, your choices will likely be skewed towards your benefit and away from that of those around you.

Something like this reminds me that there are people who see those around them on an equal level with themselves.

In summation/TL;DR: Faith in humanity = restored

Great thread. Wish we could have more news reporting on the good stuff. Definitely a tightness in my throat before the list was done, too.

A few people I know were there for #12. It makes me so proud to know I've got some really great people in my life.