Understanding, always. Comparisons don't work for me, good or bad. Everyone's in a different place in their life and has dealt with different things and in different ways that's gotten them to where they are. Understanding eliminates the need for comparison.

I like understanding how things work, including people.

I certainly do. People are fascinating and my lifelong study has been ‘why do people do what they do?’

This is a place for communication/connection, amusement and sometimes intelligent discussion. I don't see much talk involving "how terrible my life is", so this question seems out of place, to me.

On a personal level, unless someone actually tells me about their views and what they believe, I don’t really ask. However, if they do, I am interested in what they have to say and would engage with then in an exchange of Ideas and views. As a counsellor with a Charity, I do have to ask certain questions of clients, but I never volunteer any information regarding my own circumstances, that would neither be appropriate or professional. I never compare my lot with those of my friends or others I may know or read about, but I can’t help thinking how fortunate I am to have been raised as a freethinker. I do realise when listening to the people whom I volunteer to help, just how comparatively well off I am, and that’s why I try to give something back by giving my time to help them.