True..and I'm probably a glass-half-empty sorta guy.
But in my own experience, pride does still play a part in it, it isn't about trying to be positive, it's about not wanting to seem like a fool and getting fleeced.
Maybe pride is just the reason I'm not happy, and not everyone else's reason :)
Well, for what it's worth, I think you're 100% correct.
What shocked me was...
1) it's almost impossible to talk with someone about themselves, about mistakes they've made or about things they could do better (unless they brought it up).
2) almost nobody cares about "the truth". They only care about what makes them happy.
This isn't intended as a response, but actually the opposite of those two are like the defining characteristics of me.
I came to the first one after reading journal articles about 'inherency' (debate jargon for the reason a problem continues to persist), where I started think much more in terms of external causes of problems I had rather than internal ones. That's also made me much more empathetic
The second one came to me through an old debate coach, my first mentor. I've actually found that 'seeking the truth' is a really fantastic experience, and contagious too; its the reason my roommate comes home from class and reads academic studies about fitness and nutrition.
1) it's almost impossible to talk with someone about themselves, about mistakes they've made or about things they could do better (unless they brought it up).
People usually aren't seeking validation or criticism from others, especially if they don't know or work with these people. Offering these apropos of nothing is kind of rude.
2) almost nobody cares about "the truth". They only care about what makes them happy.
What does this mean? Who is the arbiter of "truth," then?
But in my own experience, pride does still play a part in it, it isn't about trying to be positive, it's about not wanting to seem like a fool and getting fleeced.
Maybe pride is just the reason I'm not happy, and not everyone else's reason :)