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People’s Opinions Are None of Your Business
Someone’s opinion may have nothing to do with you
From the day we are born, we have been taught to value the way other people view us. This isn’t just in an explicit sense, like when your teachers tell you to make a good impression on the school trip; or when your parents judge your career choice. It’s also implied implicitly within our societal structures.
We live in communities where we have to interact with other people daily. We have to work with each other. We enjoy leisure with others, play sports together, and rely on each other in many life facets. The way people view you is largely going to affect the way those interactions take place.
To get the things we want in life, it’s often important to be viewed well by others: getting a job, receiving a promotion, being allowed into particular advantageous groups, striking deals that you need to achieve your goals. And even down to your ability to maintain a good relationship, at some point, they all require someone else to have a positive impression of you.
These factors, compounded with the innate human desire to be accepted, lead to most people deriving their sense of self-worth and happiness from the way others perceive them.
