I am a misanthrope. After 35 years of life it's only gotten

I'm on the same path. 30 now. I was a very much a "love and be loved, live and let live, etc etc etc" kind of guy when I was younger, but I've grown more bitter every year. There's a lot to dislike about people and about the world.

You may think this is silly advice, but reading the Dhammapada (Buddhist wisdom) helped me put some things into perspective. http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/scrndhamma.pdf

The world will never stop sucking, people will always be bastards, but you can change your mindset about it, and the Dhammapada even teaches solitude and non-attachment is what leads to ultimate happiness. Attachments make us bitter because everything always changes, so we inevitably lose everything we attach ourselves to. Severing attachment is hard, though. I struggle with it daily.

>>18190095
Jordan Peterson will add meaning to your life old man.

So you turn into a wolf under the full moon...?

>>18190621
That's a Lycanthrope

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19KB, 238x395px

As an optimist here, I'm interested in our differences.

>>18190559
>The world will never stop sucking, people will always be bastards
>Attachments make us bitter because everything always changes

I disagree with these philosophies to the maximum. Yeah the world can suck, but you can be a part of the world that doesn't. I work at a community workshop where I go and help people make things, doing two things I absolutely love - building shit, and teaching. Sometimes I meet pretty ladies and cool fucking dudes who know some dope shit who are happy to share pro-tier knowledge they spent decades and thousands of dollars accumulating, for free.

Attachments, maybe what you define as attachment is more of an expectation of return for the energy you invest into something/someone. That's kind of a shitty attitude to take in the first place, and is prone to disappointment. You struggle with severing attachment because it's not natural for a human to isolate themselves - it's not what we are here to do.
Do things because the doing of things is what you get out of it. That's my approach at least. People may tip me, or I may sneak a smooch from a chick I really jived with after building something together, but I always do things because I generally enjoy things and don't _need_ something in return for what I do for them.
Hold this perspective, don't _expect_ a return, and you will find things come to you that you will appreciate and enjoy more simply because you didn't expect it.

The key to not finding assholes is not being an asshole yourself. The world is a mirror, bro. Bring out the best in others by being your own best. Even the shittiest fucking doofus has some kind of redeeming quality. Let petty shit slide and don't hold onto what you dislike, because people can fucking feel it when you dislike them and they will dislike you right back.

You get out of life what you put into it.