Threat Management - Be a Nice Person?
Were you taught to be nice? Most people are taught that from an early age. It's the socially accepted state of being. It is considered a good thing, a good quality, suitable in all situations. It is also a short step from nice to meek, and the meek are supposed to inherit the earth. Right? So, there's really no other acceptable choice than to be nice. This ideal gives everyone something to strive for, and it doesn't take too much work. When confronted with a situation (which really means when faced with a choice), no decision is necessary. Be nice. Be meek.
The only slight problem with this course of action is that it is wrong. There is absolutely no reason to wander through life being nice just because others think this is the way to live. Learn how to be whatever you need to be at any time. You may choose to be nice but you can also choose to be mean and ugly if the situation calls for it. This does actually take more work, because if you are going to be mean, you will have to know how to do that by whatever means you have at your disposal.
It would be tragic if you spend so much time being nice, remaining convinced that this is the right path, that a predator notices how nice you are and kills you. Nice just got you dead. Better that the predator looks at you and decides that attacking an unknown and likely mean you will result in a very poor outcome for the predator.
A wolf does not kill everything in its path, but a wolf is rarely considered "nice." And a wolf is very rarely attacked. This subject, this choice, is worth considering as you decide whether you want to be characterized as a nice person... I don't particularly want "He was a nice person" on my tombstone. Do you?
The only slight problem with this course of action is that it is wrong. There is absolutely no reason to wander through life being nice just because others think this is the way to live. Learn how to be whatever you need to be at any time. You may choose to be nice but you can also choose to be mean and ugly if the situation calls for it. This does actually take more work, because if you are going to be mean, you will have to know how to do that by whatever means you have at your disposal.
It would be tragic if you spend so much time being nice, remaining convinced that this is the right path, that a predator notices how nice you are and kills you. Nice just got you dead. Better that the predator looks at you and decides that attacking an unknown and likely mean you will result in a very poor outcome for the predator.
A wolf does not kill everything in its path, but a wolf is rarely considered "nice." And a wolf is very rarely attacked. This subject, this choice, is worth considering as you decide whether you want to be characterized as a nice person... I don't particularly want "He was a nice person" on my tombstone. Do you?
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