[itsAllTrue]

The only reason I work hard is to surround myself with people I respect.

When I find myself pushed into situations where irritating people have crept into the mix, and no one seems to be willing or able to do anything about that, I look for an exit.

Boss' nephews. Obnoxious assholes who constantly talk about getting laid. Bitchy careerist ladies who constantly demand bullshit, and seem to foment panic with every breath they can muster. Narcissistic retards dumb as a bag of hammers, but smug to the core about everything they do, which usually turns out to be sitting on their asses all day, looking up trivia about sports. Weirdos who can't seem to bathe themselves, even though they're like 40 years old?

I work hard to separate myself from these people.

[tajen]

Try to respect more people. Like the Petit Prince of Saint Exupery who can see through "boxes". That's one thing I loved learning in my life. And I'm a founder. Attitude works as a manager, not as a founder. You also need to understand the ins and outs of people, not just where they are today.

I was sharing a flat in Australia with a waiter from Thai origins. He used to make sentences without a verb. He couldn't articulate an argument. Things in life were either "bad" or "the best" for him. Every movie was his favourite movie. He can't read the price of butter. I call that illiterate.

But the guy was born without a mother. He was in a countryside boarding school. At 17 he found a grant for a cook school in Australia. He starved for 2 years but he co-owned a restaurant when he was 21. We met at age 24, he was a waiter at Sofitel for $700-1000pw. He tried Architecture, but went on with a bachelor in media. He's travelled half of Asia and Europe. He beats me sometimes on the history of France.

Let me repeat: The guy was born in the countryside in Thailand and he's currently making it in Syndey, where land prices go through the roof because it's a sunny place with beaches, low pollution, excellent schools, the second best development index IN THE WORLD according to UN (after Norway), and more freedom than in US. And he'll graduate at the end of the semester. He's done much better than my colleagues in my developed country.

But he's little people. A waiter. For people who can't see through.

You don't need hard work to be surrounded by respectable people. Just reverse the problem. You need to find the people around you who are respectable, and to do that you need to listen to their story.

And finding respect in simple things is really good for work hours and happiness.

[baby]

Yeah, I really can't understand this point of view. I find most people interesting, however different they may be. I'm lucky to be surrounded by talented people but I don't see it as a new stratum of goodness, people are shitty or great on every level.

On the contrary I dislike negative people who can't see anything good in what surround them and have a cynical view of the world. I don't think I would have liked working with you.

[itsAllTrue]

Things are always more bearable when not forced. The same is true for having to stand in the presence of awful people who are saddled with awful circumstances, and suffer both them and the circumstantial misery simultaneously.

Jail, and places similar to jail, where presence and schedule are compulsory, are neither fun nor interesting. Such places bring out the worst in people. I don't feel a shred of guilt or shame for being negative.

[nsxwolf]

Do you maybe just hate most of humanity?

[itsAllTrue]

It's kind of hard not to. I'm deeply suspicious of people who don't.

[ipsin]

Have you tried empathy? Most people are just, y'know, doing their things. They have likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.

Some of them are actually pretty terrible, but I don't think that's a universal quality of humanity.

[itsAllTrue]

Agreed, hence all the hard work to find the good ones!

[kjax]

Hah, are you me? They say a cynic is merely a jaded idealist, and it's hard to disagree.

[sweetbabyjesus]

Exactly how I feel. Now let the hating continue.

[ktRolster]

Yeah, that's kind of true, I found myself seriously considering going to lawschool, sick of programming, when I finally realized that all I really wanted was to work with competent people.

[codeisawesome]

All entities are broken. Make your peace with that. Don't be angry when people are awful or things/systems don't work. Be pleasantly surprised when anything works.

I'm not preaching universal love. I'm advocating pruned expectations.

[namenotrequired]

Is it working out?

[itsAllTrue]

Well, the trade exchanging one Boss' Nephew for one Smelly Weirdo is actually turning out to be an improvement.

[chimericray]

That's a trade we all should make in a heart beat.

[reledi]

You should have posted your comment after the second paragraph.