I thought about this last night, and I'm posting it now.
You know what? I've decided to make a New Year's Resolution a little early this year. I've decided that from now on, I'm just not going to deal with emo people. Maybe it sounds a little haughty to say this, but there are plenty of nice, cheerful people who are a joy to talk to online, and I'd much rather spend my time talking with them than having to play psychiatrist every night for someone else.
Now, that's not to say that if someone is really upset, that I won't listen to them. I certainly will, as long as there's something that legitimately has them down, like a family member dying, or losing a job or something like that. I want to be known as someone who will try to cheer a friend up, as long as that friend has a legitimate reason to be unhappy.
What I will not do anymore, is simply be there and listen to someone bitch about how "nobody likes me" or "I hate myself." I'm sorry, but if you've got a computer and Internet, and a roof over your head, a family, and more often than not, a well-paying job, then you're pretty well off and you should be thankful. I'm not going to let terminally-depressed people try to ruin my normally-happy mood any longer. You want me to be nice to you? Start by being nice to everyone else, and maybe, just maybe, realizing that you don't have it so bad after all.
Now, that's not to say that if someone is really upset, that I won't listen to them. I certainly will, as long as there's something that legitimately has them down, like a family member dying, or losing a job or something like that. I want to be known as someone who will try to cheer a friend up, as long as that friend has a legitimate reason to be unhappy.
What I will not do anymore, is simply be there and listen to someone bitch about how "nobody likes me" or "I hate myself." I'm sorry, but if you've got a computer and Internet, and a roof over your head, a family, and more often than not, a well-paying job, then you're pretty well off and you should be thankful. I'm not going to let terminally-depressed people try to ruin my normally-happy mood any longer. You want me to be nice to you? Start by being nice to everyone else, and maybe, just maybe, realizing that you don't have it so bad after all.