Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down
Stop Caring What Others Think About YOU
I quit giving a shi7 many years ago. It is the key to a much happier and more fulfilling existence. - DD
We have explored the dark side of our social nature—the toxic collectivism that leads to single-solution systems imposed by force. We have explored why these systems force us to care about what other people think and believe…and why we should stop doing so nonetheless.
The next part of our journey is to look at why each of us should stop caring so much about what other people think of us.
Part of the group
It should go without saying that we need to care somewhat. Part of being a member of a social species (and a nice person) is being considerate of others.
You shouldn’t knock people out of the way to get to the drinking fountain first. You shouldn’t walk around your neighborhood singing show-tunes at 3:00 AM (even though I know you really, really want to).
How others perceive and feel about you does matter to a degree. It makes life better—and it makes you better—to be nice to others, and to be liked by them.
This social concern presses upon everyone to some degree, and rightly so. Unfortunately, many people allow the opinions of others to impact them too much.
If you are supremely confident (or highly arrogant and antisocial), this next section may not apply to you. But such people are far rarer than the millions failing to…