Toxic People

I unfriended someone on FaceBook today.  I don't do these things lightly.

I realized, over time, from reading her posts and her responses to comments, that she was a very angry, unhappy person and that she had no intention of addressing those issues in herself when she could conveniently blame society, her husband, her parents, her siblings, people who disagreed with her and just about anyone else for her issues.  Reading her posts created a feeling dis-ease in me.

It's not that I disagree with a lot of her political and social stands, it's that I feel that you can be aware of reality and aware of unfairness and inequity without being enraged, radical, furious, full of hate and aware only of the black and white of a situation without ever seeing the shades of gray.  You can work to effect change without hating the people involved and without trying to place blame.

For my health, emotional, spiritual and physical, I cut ties with her.  Toxic people really can poison one if one lets them.  Her anger made me angry - at her, her hate made me hate - hatred aimed at her, her unhappiness made me unhappy - with her.  And since she won't change their outlook (because it was always someone else's doing), I had to change mine.  I can't help her, she won't allow it (since, according to her, she's not the one who needs help - and even if she did, no one could do it correctly because it would involve everyone around her changing to suit her), and she won't help herself, I helped myself and now there's one less toxic person in my life.

I feel lighter.