This blog post is very different from the types I've done before. I'm aware that pretty much no-one is reading my blog posts/is taking them seriously, but I thought I'd put this out there anyway, as it's worth thinking about.
Personal circumstances have made me consider what attributes I like in people I know. Attributes such as an interesting and a fun-loving personality are the first things that many people think of, as these are qualities that might stand out. But I've found that many "likeable" attributes that we find easy to pick out in people can actually be misleading. For example, say you meet a person who is interested in the same things as you and who seems to be generally happy and cheerful. Your first impression would be that you will probably get on with this person, and that their happiness and cheerfulness might translate into other good attributes, such as generosity and kindness. However, first impressions can be very deceiving, and it is only when you see people acting in certain ways in certain situations that you can get an idea of how "nice" and "likeable" they really are. This same person could, at the same time, be manipulative, greedy and selfish. They also might be uncaring. I now realize that the act of being "caring" is probably the most important attribute a "likeable" person could have. A person who might share your interest in cartoons and anime might not care about his or her furniture, or house, or the cleanliness of his/her kitchen. A person who doesn't necessarily share your interests could still be likeable if he/she cares about his/her possessions and other peoples' possessions.
You may be reading this and thinking, "So what if I can't be bothered to clean all the time?" or "My furniture's crappy anyway, who cares if I damage it?" Well, if you can relate to these two statements, then hopefully you care about other things that are worth caring about, otherwise you could be placed in the category of "unlikeable", or even "horrible", or even "evil." How did I suddenly jump from a dirty kitchen to being evil? Well, the less people care about things, the more evil they become (and "care" about world domination doesn't count as legitimate caring in this blog post).
One of the first dictionary definitions for the word "care", quoted directly, is:"the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something."
Just reading this sentence makes me realize what "unlikeable" people, and what many of my generation, don't do. They don't care.
You hope that at least people will care about other people, but being uncaring in other parts of life is just a slippery slope to not caring about "important" things, such as the environment, animals and people. Just as hitting a dog is one step away from hitting a baby, damaging your possessions is, arguably, one step away from damaging people. And damaging doesn't necessarily mean physical damage, it could mean neglect, or mental damage as well. These are all "uncaring."
I hear statements like, "back in the day, we used to look after things properly," and I like to think that I am more conscious of this statement, and more caring of possessions, for example, than most people of my age. I not only care about my possessions, but I also care about the environment, I care about my body (health-wise) and I care about people who I respect.
It is "cool" now, not to care for these things, or to pretend that you don't. Why? Because it makes you seem more easy-going, more "wild"? Because that kind of "uncaring" attitude just just puts me off.
What I have come to realize, is that the more you care, the more you are improving yourself. This includes cleaning the kitchen regularly, or making sure not to damage the floor when moving your chair around. You're saving yourself the pain of a disease-infested, dirty, off-putting kitchen, and you're saving your floor for many weeks, and months, and years to come (and depending on the type of chair you have, you're saving your chair for a little longer as well).
The type of person that I actively dislike is one who is responsible for things, but does not care for them. He/she doesn't have to be uncaring in every aspect of his/her life, a great deal of it depends on context, situation, age and other factors. But a person's total lack or disregard for something worthwhile, or beautiful, puts me off entirely.
The only problem is - is that the type of people who don't care, are often the ones who lure you into liking them. Annoying, horrible or evil people in general can be well respected, simply because of the certain social skills that they possess. I have learnt not to trust people too much, as it is all too easy to fall under the spell of an uncaring person.
Sorry to possibly rant, I just felt the need to post something a bit more "meaningful".
