waybread
Well-known member
Hi Waybread,
I agree with the boomerang effect, what you put out is returned. There is exceptions though. There have been times where a person does something nasty, because they are nasty. You don’t always deserve what someone else puts out, but they do it regardless. Those times, I usually ask when I return the volley, “Why did you make me do this to you?”
Hi, Opal-- I wasn't really thinking about whether an innocent person "deserves" nasty treatment. Nobody deserves gratuitously nasty treatment. To me, this type of thing falls more into the "life isn't fair category."
I think we have to look at long-term averages. A good person putting out good stuff can indeed get nasty treatment in return, but on-average, he will reap rewards from other people.
Sometimes the fundamentally good person can get too pious or self-righteous about it, which is off-putting to others.
Similarly, the nasty co-worker whom everyone hates automatically forfeits things that really matter in life: loyalty, respect, friendship, and even love. In a work situation that demands teamwork, nobody wants to be on Mr. Nasty's team, and when they are, they will often ignore or sabotage his contributions.
We no longer live in the autocratic world of Machiavelli. Most people today have better options than putting up with the office sadist.
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