Dear February: Unspoken Barriers

Self-quality is not always measured by how great your abilities are in achieving targets, but by how strong you are in enduring the presence of people who choose not to interact with you.  

I took a moment to reflect. Perhaps the reason people avoid interacting with me is because my image is not appealing to them—I often display facial expressions, eye contact, and gestures that seem disinterested in my surroundings. My conversations may come across as inappropriate—perhaps my choice of words is not suitable for everyone. My way of communicating, beyond just diction, might involve topics that are uninteresting. It could even be my body odor or appearance—maybe they unconsciously feel the need to keep their distance.  

Beyond all that, the reason they choose to limit their interactions with me could be because they have already spoken about me behind my back—whether before or after witnessing something they find unpleasant about me.  

The key is: You don’t need to please or satisfy everyone. The truth is, as humans, we are always aware of what we lack within ourselves. And when we are unaware of our own shortcomings, we tend to look for flaws in others. If that perspective is validated, people will refuse to acknowledge it—because that is human nature.  

Not wanting to be blamed is simply a defense mechanism.  

Am I right, Sir Sigmund Freud?