Nuh-Uh... I Don't Like!

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Like everyone else, there are things I like and those that I dislike as well. And the things I dislike come with various degrees of passion. Some are just mild dislike and others are borderline hatred. It can be anything at all, from a person to a thing or even an idea. Nothing is safe from the jagged sword of my dislike.

How I deal with these things is different. If you’re someone who does something I dislike, the very thing you’re doing could determine if I’ll hang out with you or not. There are things I’ll simply ignore because I don’t care, and there are those that I can’t ignore, and because of that fact, I’ll have to keep myself away from you.

One thing I’m not a fan of is smoking of any kind. It’s something I dislike greatly and I’d never engage in it. Besides the fact that it’s highly addictive and can ruin lives, and also besides the fact that it ruins your liver, I hate the way the smell sticks to your clothes and to your person. No matter how much menthol sweets you take, the moment you walk past someone, they’ll know that you’ve been smoking.

It’s even worse when it’s done indoors. The place fills up with smoke and because it’s heavier than air, getting it out of the room is always difficult. One thing I don’t like is having cigarette butts or different kinds of lighters lying all around the house, or having the couch and bed smell like stale smoke. It’s always off-putting for me. The smell just doesn’t do it where I’m concerned.

Despite all this, what I have is only a mild dislike. I won’t judge you for smoking, it also won’t stop you from being my friend. You can be my good friend, only that you won’t smoke in my house, car, and around me. You’ll also get used to the idea that once you start smoking around me, I’ll have to come up with a reason to leave the vicinity. Smoking is something that should be done in private. Away from prying noses.

Another thing I dislike is people who don’t know how to reciprocate the energy you give to them. There are people who you’d move heaven and earth for, you’d bend over backward just to make them happy, however, the moment it comes to their turn to help you out, you start hearing different kinds of excuses.

It can be anything, from chatting with a new person to reconnecting with an old friend. It could be you being generous with your time and always willing to help, but for some reason, no one ever seems to be in your corner when you need them to be. That is a very painful thing.

Once I realize you’re that kind of person, I begin to hold myself back. If I used to do stuff for free for you before, I’d either start charging or I’d stop doing it altogether. Do you know that some people are cruel enough that when they want something for free, they come to you? But when they have money to pay for that same thing, they’d go to someone else? I’m sure you know one or two monsters like that.

So, as long as I know that you’re treating me on a frequency different from the one that I’m treating you, you can rest assured that lessons will be learned and changes will be made. Because I find it painful when you place someone on a pedestal and they think of you as a footstool. I’m just gonna kick it out from under you and watch you fall- hard!

One more thing that I dislike is people who tell lies. I hate it with passion. If you’re gonna lie to me, please tell me one that I’m never going to find out about because when I do find out, it’s gonna be a strike against you.

This is especially true about people who just tell lies about even the most ridiculous things. Things that with only a few questions, you’ll figure out the truth. Such people can never be trusted because you can never really know the day they decide to tell the truth. They might be at the hospital, but you won’t believe them because sometime last week, they lied about getting shot and getting an operation. I can’t trust such people, and I prefer to stay as far away from them as possible.

There are so many other things I dislike, but these are at the top of the ladder. For me, I’ve managed to find a way to live with them. The ones that I detest strongly enough, I stay away from them, and then I also tolerate the ones I can. It’s just another Tuesday, man.

We can’t really do much about our dislikes because people will always be people. I can’t ask you to change your life because I don’t like how you’re living it, that’s not how freedom works. However, the same rules that allow you to live your life the way you like, also allow me to react to it the way I like. And if I don’t like what you do, I’ll stay away. Simple as that.

Well, at least I try to.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the first topic of this week which is Just Three Things. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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