when i'm mad from my perspective but i can also see their perspective so now i’m carrying double the emotional weight and being eaten away by my anger and empathy
High empathy sucks cause when you understand why people are the way they are you realize most people aren't truly evil they're just dumb and incapable of viewing the world outside of their own experiences which makes it hard to truly hate them even if they are ugly inside.
My freshmen year roommate was a complete fucking disaster but he would throw parties and everyone would pass out in our living room and every morning I left for class at 7am I would just get little choruses of "have fun at class, good luck" from hungover stoners and let me tell you, as someone who thrives off attention and positive reinforcement, this setup really worked for me
We were at a party when one of his old friends the kind who thinks she’s funny said,
“If you ever get tired of her, you know where to find me.”
She smiled like it was harmless.
Before I could even process it, he said, “I don’t entertain disrespect. Especially not toward my wife.”
No laugh. No “she’s joking.” No softening it.
The room shifted.
He didn’t protect my feelings quietly later. He protected my dignity right there.
And I realized something that night loyalty isn’t what someone says in private. It’s what they shut down in public.