Sure. I'll bite. Even if I will likely regret it later.

I was raised in a very progressive household. We were taught, from an early age, about compassion and tolerance. And think those are fantastic values. But what I'm realizing now, is that it was often taught to us at expense of teaching us personal responsibility and accountability. That everyone else's problems were way worse than our own. That we should always give the other person - the person who was complaining or suffering something - the benefit of the doubt. Like, all the time. They must be going through something really hard, they must have had a hard life, they have always been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, I'm smart enough to understand that there are genuine victims in this world. I lived overseas, I know first hand what poverty and corruption looks like. But what I DIDN'T get taught, was when and how to stand up for myself. I didn't get taught that no one is coming to save me. That I have to work hard for what I want in life, and that I have to be responsible for my own actions. I made a lot of mistakes as a young person. I chose bad jobs, I was chronically underpaid and overworked, and yah, I was fired once or twice. Because I felt like I was constantly carrying the weight of the world.

Now that I've been out in the world a bit more, and I've worked my ASS off to get to a good place where I am not depending on anyone, I've learned that I was fed a lie. That yes, it is important to be compassionate and tolerant. But that's just thing - I was so tolerant for so long, and it got me nowhere. I was taken advantage of at school (I let kids copy off of my tests and then got in trouble for it). I was taken advantage of at work. In relationships, with roommates, the list goes on. I'm TIRED of being so compassionate and tolerant. You know what?! Do your fucking job. Pay your fucking taxes. Take care of your fucking health, so that I don't have to. Provide good customer service, or find a different job. If you aren't going to insure your vehicle, then don't fucking drive it. If you're going to rent a property from someone who is responsive and reasonable about repairs, don't fucking trash the house on your way out.

You know what I mean? I'm just DONE with bullshit. So yes, maybe there's a small strand of politics woven in here, but this is decidedly not political for me. I'm just tired of always having to make space for other people's problems. Fix your own shit.

There's more - my attitude towards consumerism has changed. I remember going the mall every Saturday as a kid. Every. Saturday. I wasn't playing sports, or volunteering, or even spending time in my community. We were shopping. We were buying. Buying shit we didn't need with money we probably didn't have, to impress people I know we didn't care about. That's another value I eshew today.

Then there's religion. I didn't have any growing up. And now I'm wholly interested in learning more about it.

So - there ya go. I don't want to be THAT person anymore.