Be honest with yourself for a second.
How much of what you do is actually you, and how much is an act?

Acting like you understand how the world works. Like you know your next move. Like you’ve got it all figured out.

Most of us don’t. We just don’t want anyone to see that, so we keep playing the character.

If that’s you, it’s fine. But ask yourself why you’re still playing it, and who it’s even for.

Now think about a time you did something you thought was right, and people just didn’t get it. They only saw the outside, and you ended up looking bad.

We do that to other people all the time.

Almost nobody thinks they’re the bad guy. Most people believe they’re doing the right thing, and when they’re not, there’s usually something behind it that we never saw. If we knew it, a lot of our anger would look pretty stupid. A lot of petty problems would just disappear.

Only after you try to understand someone can you decide if what they did was okay or not.

But you’ll never fully get anyone. You only see what they show you, or what they couldn’t hide. The rest you make up yourself, so the person in your head is just a character you wrote. And someone out there is writing one of you too.

That doesn’t mean give up. It means remember it before you judge.

I’ve been living like this for years, always trying to understand people. And honestly, it didn’t give me anything positive back. If anything, people hurt me more, because I gave them the chance to.

I also have to admit you can’t do this all the time. Most of the time there’s no time for it. You’re talking to the person right then, and you react. That’s normal, so don’t be too hard on yourself for acting badly in that moment. What matters is what you do after. Think about it again once it’s over, so you’re not stuck in the same headspace you were in when it happened.

I don’t know if it’s worth it. Maybe you’ll find an answer I haven’t.