I was always told by my parents that most often the nicest people in life were the people who had gone through the most difficult of times...they had more empathy and understanding. Any takes on this one??
2006-10-27 16:12:02 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
They really appreciate the good times in life, treasure good friends, and appreciate their family because they've gone without. They don't take things for granted.
And yes, they are more empathetic because they know what it's like to suffer and can see eye to eye with those who are going through hard times.
2006-10-27 16:28:58 · answer #1 · answered by Kayla 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My neighbors as I grew up included a World War 2 veteran and his wife that he met in Poland. She was a very nice lady, taught me a little Polish (which I have unfortunately forgotten), and always seemed to be happy. She always seemed to not have a care in the world and was always smiling, and my parents were very close to her. Years later, I learned that she had been in a concentration camp during World War 2 and was a holocaust survivor. A sister and brother survived, but her parents and other siblings didn't. Despite her having lived through that, she never showed any bitterness or hate to anyone else. Her name is Jadwiga (sounds like yaah-zha) and she is now 90 years old.
2006-10-27 23:36:32 · answer #2 · answered by χριστοφορος ▽ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think there's truth to that. I also believe that the most difficult times test a person - some come through with much deeper compassion than those who have not experienced really tough personal experiences while others end up angry and bitter.
2006-10-27 23:18:45 · answer #3 · answered by Alex62 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would say that your parents are wise people. i was abused very badly as a child and in every way thinkable. i was out on my own by age 14. lived a very rough life until i was 28 and married my current husband. we raised 19 children all but 3 were severely abused children and i don't think someone who had not experienced what i did in life could have shown these kids the appropriate kind of unconditional love we did if they had not gone through it. (my husband had a similar background) i am very proud of all of my children and i see the same urge to help others in most of them.
2006-10-27 23:59:51 · answer #4 · answered by jusme 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i don't know if it's the difficult times that make people nicer or that others tend to seem spoiled.
i get extremely frustrated with the little girls at my school that have never had to work, who's parents always bought them whatever was expensive, who ended up being entirely overindulged. I tend to like these people less than those with backgrounds like mine, not because they are terrible people - many of them are quite nice - but because they lack the frame of reference to understand my situation.
They look down on me because I work full-time and make good grades, but I am 16 years old and putting myself through college. I grew up in the ghetto shopping at thriftstores and avoiding these peoples' scorn.
Am I nicer than them? No. But I feel that I am able to accept and embrace people from more walks of life than the more "spoiled" people are able to, simply because i have been through more diverse (and often eye-opening) experiences.
2006-10-29 00:37:43 · answer #5 · answered by Lizzi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Growing up I was always told that I was a nice guy, voted "class quiet" twice. Of course I was inside miserable, didnt know the way to be gay, open-gay in the mid 90's. After leaving high-school, college is the best way to open up and be yourself. Years later, after so many jobs and around people sometimes the scum of them made me grouchy, mean, snappish gay person. My previous job in customer service, I would get the A**holes, I had to put on my "mean-face" and wouldnt give in to nobody. In rare times some guy or girl would compliment me or just be TRUELY nice, it would get me off guard and I would get stuck on words. I cant believe that Im this unknown mean person, dont know how to be nice when my community is falling apart.
2006-10-27 23:38:37 · answer #6 · answered by zuegma1977 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My wife and I married 44 yrs ago and we both agree that some of our most memorable and closest times were the ones when life dealt us difficult situations.
2006-10-27 23:18:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes and no they come out as normal loving people or as murderers rapist ect ect but everyone is different as are the circumstances of which they came just treat everyone with the respect that u want to recieve and the world would be so much better
2006-10-27 23:27:43 · answer #8 · answered by getcuriouswithgeorge 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i beleive that's true and the reason they have gone through all that is that life is trying to teach them a leason.
2006-10-27 23:15:01 · answer #9 · answered by Raven 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think your right...
you cant begin to understand laughter with out tears...
pain without pleasure....
or darkness with outlight....
2006-10-27 23:24:16 · answer #10 · answered by Matt Z 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋