Kind of related here, Alanna. I remember reading a book a few years back that had a part in it saying that we just need to cut people out of our lives who are not helping us become our best selves (or something like that). I always felt that was a little cruel. What if that person needs us? What if we can be of assistance to that person? I like that you left room for this nuance a little bit in this piece here "We usually think of “letting go of what no longer serves” as a positive step toward becoming a “better” person, but there is always an aspect of loss to this."
Yes, I agree! I think a lot about advice like that and it definitely needs some nuance... while there are certainly situations where that is warranted, there does seem to be a pretty low bar for labeling someone “toxic” and canceling them from our lives. What if we find ourselves uncomfortable around them because they challenge our worldview, and cutting them out keeps us from facing issues we need to grapple with in order to grow ourselves? Or perhaps they are going through tough times/depression and really need people to be there for them but can’t muster the energy to be pleasant... or many many other possibilities. I definitely want to explore this more in the future, so thank you for bringing it up, Thomas!
Kind of related here, Alanna. I remember reading a book a few years back that had a part in it saying that we just need to cut people out of our lives who are not helping us become our best selves (or something like that). I always felt that was a little cruel. What if that person needs us? What if we can be of assistance to that person? I like that you left room for this nuance a little bit in this piece here "We usually think of “letting go of what no longer serves” as a positive step toward becoming a “better” person, but there is always an aspect of loss to this."
Yes, I agree! I think a lot about advice like that and it definitely needs some nuance... while there are certainly situations where that is warranted, there does seem to be a pretty low bar for labeling someone “toxic” and canceling them from our lives. What if we find ourselves uncomfortable around them because they challenge our worldview, and cutting them out keeps us from facing issues we need to grapple with in order to grow ourselves? Or perhaps they are going through tough times/depression and really need people to be there for them but can’t muster the energy to be pleasant... or many many other possibilities. I definitely want to explore this more in the future, so thank you for bringing it up, Thomas!