... 579

The only people posting patriotic stuff on Facebook are the expats.

I don't get it. If you're so homesick, by all means, come back.

But they never do. The expats are just like the Ankh-Morpork dwarfs who weep in their tankards about the good old mine they came from but wouldn't even think about going back to it.

That's not patriotism, that's nostalgia - the same way I am nostalgic about my childhood but wouldn't want to relive again. It's oh so easy to advocate for something when you're at a safe distance.

... 578

“Know yourself.” But when you start digging be prepared not to like what you might unearth.

And I found out that I wasn't as tolerant and understanding as I prided myself to be. True, I manage to stay clean from conflicts but not by truly accepting other people's differences but by simply keeping people at a safe distance, by isolating myself in a bubble from everyone that fails to cover my requirements. That's not acceptance, that's denial, just erase-and-rewind technique. It's easy to do the math: no people, no problems. In other words: I suck at compromises big time but no one knows it because no one is let to get close enough. It's not like my social skills got better - I got better at faking them.

How did I get to fear people so much?

... 577

I wouldn't want to go back in time and be a teen again. I am grateful that I'm past the need to be everyone's cup of tea. Of course, it feels good to be liked but whenever that is not the case it no longer feels like the end of the world. Precious freedom of mind.