I'm sure my future comments will bring it right back. I don't really try to be an asshole or appear to be one. I just have slightly different views on what social norms I agree with. When you violate those rules you get that label. The main one that I violate is I feel it's better to be honest than polite when talking about anything important. This sounds like what most people would say but in reality few really do it. I tend to not take responsibility for others reactions or feelings. Of course, I don't just say anything with total disregard for peoples feelings but again if it matters I will choose honesty. I feel bad if I hurt people feelings so it's not something I do lightly but I won't back away from it either. I tend to be blunt, this is more to prevent misunderstanding more than anything. These can cause deep resentments because people don't usually want the truth, they want someone to validate what they want to do or have done. They want you to make them feel good. I have no illusions about it, it's not a good way to make friends or keep them. For me, this struggle between honesty and lying to make them feel good is one I have more trouble with than most people. If you agree with societies line I guess its easy but if you don't then it's a real problem. The line is moving in the opposite direction from mine so it's not likely to be resolved for me. I accept I will be alone because of my views but having respect for myself is more important to me. I've paid for my attitude and I expect to keep paying as I don't see the world or I changing that much. I have studied humans to understand myself but I find it hard to use the information I've learned to manipulate them. It would be so easy to do, so easy to friends, so easy to get what I want but I just can't bring myself to do it. So I do what I know to some degree is self-destructive just because I believe it's the right thing to do. It at times makes me question my intelligence and mental health.

We are certainly monkeys. How anyone can watch them for any length of time and not see that is beyond me.

I'm not talking about the slang term for liking things. Defining love is always tricky since it's somewhat subjective. I'm saying the soldiers that kill innocent women and kids have lots of things and people they love but lack empathy for their victims. You have to be very close to love so it has a limited capacity for good. Once you go past the people you are close to you don't care about anyone else after that unless you have empathy.

"Tolerance" is a slippery slope.

@KKGator not if you believe in Minding Your Own Business (MYOB)

Until you get to the point of feeling you must tolerate intolerance lest you yourself become an intolerant hypocrite and end up crawling up your own metaphorical back side, while the truly intolerant take over the world.

Tolerance has in it an inherent feeling of superiority. I'm so glad you can tolerate my existence, how humble and gracious of you. Empathy is about putting yourself in someone else place, lowering yourself to their level, which is a very different thing because tolerance runs out.

True because love is all about us, very selfish but empathy is about others, very selfless

Hate is much easier still.