Main Entry:mis·an·thropePronunciation:\ˈmi-sən-ˌthrōp\Function:nounEtymology:Greek misanthrōpos hating humankind, from misein to hate + anthrōpos human beingDate:1683: a person who hates or distrusts humankind
I've been feeling like this quite a bit lately. It's not directed towards anyone in particular. In fact I feel like I've been connecting with my friends and coworkers more than before. It's just this general feeling of not 'getting' people as a whole.
I don't get the person tailgating me on the parkway in the morning. I don't get the impatient person in the supermarket or the person being rude to the cashier. I certainly don't get the people in the newspaper- rape, burglary, assault, gay marriage bans, ponzi schemes, million dollar bonuses to CEO's of failing companies, mass murder, and the obsession with Michelle Obama's wardrobe. I don't get the nurses I talk to every day who make it clear they don't really want to be there, or the doctors who can't be bothered to acknowledge that they received results on a patient whose INR is elevated and they're going to bleed out.
I guess it's been a good exercise in equanimity. I have to learn to let go when people do things I just don't understand. It's not like I can stop them and get them to explain to me just why they did what the did or acted the way they acted. I can't expect anyone else's behavior to conform to my standards of what it logical or make sense. And more than that, I can't spend time worrying about it. That confusion, and need to understand the method to someone else' madness has the same effect as anger- the ember you hold on to, getting burned in the process.
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