I know this might blow your mind, but people can be and do multiple things at once.
I knew an astrophysicist who loved trashy romances. Instead of asserting what you want from the people around you when you interact with them, maybe consider that humans are complex and made up of many stages of evolution that forced us to be interested in the social lives of others. (Sometimes as a preservation instinct; is the friend of my friend going to convince them to withhold food because I’m different? Sometimes as entertainment; is this person I don’t know in a stable romantic raltionship?)
And as a result, take a moment and recognize that the “I’m respectful of other people’s privacy by not wanting to know about them” angle only works if everyone believes in Live and Let Live. Which is very obviously not the case.
@thantik
I know this might blow your mind, but people can be and do multiple things at once.
I knew an astrophysicist who loved trashy romances. Instead of asserting what you want from the people around you when you interact with them, maybe consider that humans are complex and made up of many stages of evolution that forced us to be interested in the social lives of others. (Sometimes as a preservation instinct; is the friend of my friend going to convince them to withhold food because I’m different? Sometimes as entertainment; is this person I don’t know in a stable romantic raltionship?)
And as a result, take a moment and recognize that the “I’m respectful of other people’s privacy by not wanting to know about them” angle only works if everyone believes in Live and Let Live. Which is very obviously not the case.
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