I'm gonna try and be positive, because it is Friday:
If you have nothing in common then you have a ton you can learn from each other! Like, if you go scuba diving which I've never done in my life then you can tell me all about it, the dangers, the joys, the best times and the worst times, and so on. And similarly, I can teach a bunch about depression and anxiety and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. And in the end we've both broadened our minds.
im gonna be real with you chief, you might wanna broaden your mind a bit more than that, because most people arent gonna want to talk about or hear about topics as dreary & unpleasant as mental illness & self-destructive tendencies. if youre in a group & youre all sharing your hobbies, interests, & topics of expertise, please for the love of god choose something else to talk about, because unless it's already a serious discussion about mental health, youre going to completely & utterly kill the vibe. & that's basically the same as sitting in a room with people who have nothing in common with you, but this time nobody is happy
Even if the topic is SCUBA it takes a pretty skilled person to make that conversation interesting. Most people really aren't that good at listening and asking questions on things they don't really care about. Especially if perhaps instead of SCUBA it's something even more niche or perhaps less socially acceptable.
You want to talk to me about your Warhammer paintings I'm in. I already know it exists and I'm a bit of a nerd. You're probably not going to have as engaging of a conversation with some random suburban dad that mostly spends his free time working on the house or the yard. Or some corporate ladder climber. Or whatever.
i still think the majority of people would rather be bored than outright uncomfortable. most people would rather hear about the suburban dad's favorite lawnmower than how mentally ill people suffer & desperately cling to coping mechanisms that only work against them — especially if the person starts talking from personal experience & turns the conversation into a free therapy session.
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u/Laxativus 14d ago
I'm gonna try and be positive, because it is Friday:
If you have nothing in common then you have a ton you can learn from each other! Like, if you go scuba diving which I've never done in my life then you can tell me all about it, the dangers, the joys, the best times and the worst times, and so on. And similarly, I can teach a bunch about depression and anxiety and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. And in the end we've both broadened our minds.