We all have bad days, but that's no reason to want our bad vibes to rub off on those who seem happy and content.
Misery may yearn for company, but we shouldn't feel compelled to be that company.
If people find themselves in the whole, they need to work through their problems on their own.
Instead of aiming their frustration at other people, they should turn to them for support. They should see them as a source of comfort rather than as an annoyance.
In the end, the people whom these negative folks wish were just as unhappy as they are would probably do anything to turn their frown upside down. Needless to say, they'd be directing their ire at someone who, chances are, would be disposed to lend a hand in any way possible.
But as we well know, people who are in a crappy mood don't always think rationally.
They focus only on themselves, and the mere thought of others being happy flat-out irritates them.
Thus, they seek to turn these individuals into copies of themselves -- living, breathing balls of negativity.
People who do this are, needless to say, extraordinarily selfish, and we should do our best to stay away from them.
The people worth being around are the ones who want to see you succeed -- the kind-hearted folks who will cheer you on even if things in their own lives aren't going so great at the moment.
Sadly, people who call themselves our friends harbor envy toward us, and seeing us in a similarly trying situation actually makes them feel better.
Now, it's not necessarily a bad thing to feel some measure of comfort in knowing that someone else has been in your shoes, but wanting others to be negative, hostile, and cynical just because they themselves feel that way is wrong.
Relationships can be mutually enriching for myriad reasons. One of those is being there for each other -- serving as a guiding light when life has either person in a dark place.
If someone tries to heap their negativity on you, they to steer the conversation subtly. If they persist, just walk away.
Refuse to allow someone to make you their personal punching bag. If they want to project their frustrations onto someone, it won't be you.
Kiss these incubators of negativity goodbye.
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