I try to be kind, upbeat, etc in my interactions with other people, especially at work. I want to treat others well, work together peacefully, and leave the project happy. I’ve noticed that some people (particularly more curmudgeonly folks) seem to read that attitude as naïveté, and feel like they can walk all over me or treat me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. Why is that?
Disagree. In my lived experience, the kindest person in the room is often the smartest.
the terrible awful no-good reality is that being kind is just objectively the most effective thing, and obviously the whole reason why us humans have become so powerful.
it’s incredibly easy to show why: you have a tree with 1 apple within easy reach, do you A) give the other person a boost so they can reach all the other apples and then spend the evening gorging with your new friend, or B) FUCKING MURDER THEM and eat the one apple while you watch the life fade from their eyes?
A sane person obviously chooses A, and it’s mind boggling that this has somehow become even remotely debatable.