Looking at other people and being jealous...

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Tequila
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17 Mar 2013, 10:33 am

thomas81 wrote:
I know it doesnt sit well with your right wing politics but i put my relatively modest life achievements down to my material conditioning.


You know that many people on the right-wing aren't obsessed with the latest gadgets and all that? We're not materialistic, but respect the right of others to be. Compulsively materialistic people tend to be shallow.

I personally am only interested in what I need and want to fulfil my interests, and balls to anything else.



thomas81
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17 Mar 2013, 12:37 pm

Tequila wrote:
thomas81 wrote:
I know it doesnt sit well with your right wing politics but i put my relatively modest life achievements down to my material conditioning.


You know that many people on the right-wing aren't obsessed with the latest gadgets and all that? We're not materialistic, but respect the right of others to be. Compulsively materialistic people tend to be shallow.

I personally am only interested in what I need and want to fulfil my interests, and balls to anything else.


you mentioned you feel envious about people who've done better academically and acquired more skills. That doesnt necessarilly follow that they have acquired more materially but nonetheless performing better academically and coming from a privileged background go hand in hand. It can also be confounded by a prolonged autism or other neurological disorder diagnosis (where applicable).


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goldfish21
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17 Mar 2013, 9:33 pm

The main problem with your thinking is your constant comparison of yourself to others, minimizing your own strengths, maximizing theirs and making your happiness codependant on being able to so something you perceive as superior to something someone else can do. Stop comparing. The only person you should strive to be better than is who you were yesterday.

An AS friend of mine was depressed about his financial success to date in life as his business earns him less than his old job did, but even at his old job where he made $80-100K/yr for 5 years, he didn't believe he had done very well at all. The average income here is $45K/yr Province wide and $63K/yr in the city where only the top 5% of households report an income of $100K/yr+ yet he still didn't think he'd done very well earning $100K/yr on his own because "yeah, but it's not a million or anything." Ok, true, its not a million.. But a six figure income is not a faiure or lack of success. Meanwhile, since all he did was compare up to others he had himself all depressed about it. The solution for both of you is to break the habit of comparing yourself to others and focus on yourself and what you're doing and improving at.


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Tequila
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17 Mar 2013, 10:18 pm

No, you must understand. I don't feel like that about everyone I meet, and in a lot of cases I'm glad not to be the other person I'm speaking to, and for a whole number of reasons!

It's just that I look at some people, and they have all the skills that I do not. I can barely work out how to use the public transportation system, less being able to go out with something on my own. My self-help skills are woeful at the best of times.



nessa238
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18 Mar 2013, 6:06 am

Tequila wrote:
No, you must understand. I don't feel like that about everyone I meet, and in a lot of cases I'm glad not to be the other person I'm speaking to, and for a whole number of reasons!

It's just that I look at some people, and they have all the skills that I do not. I can barely work out how to use the public transportation system, less being able to go out with something on my own. My self-help skills are woeful at the best of times.


I just see other people as having a variety of levels of ability - some better and some worse than me. I can admire the skills some people have that I don't but I don't generally feel jealous as I know that a lot of the time their abilities are beyond my brain's capability anyway. I think I do pretty well given that I'm having to cope with a sub-standard brain and think to myself that if my brain was put into the head of a high achiever they'd probably suddenly become completely unable to function ie I am making the best of a bad lot and in many ways I'm ahead of the game as I've got my own house, companionship, no debt, no criminal record and I feel confident to be able to navigate any administrative system I have to deal with - plenty of NTs couldn't say that! I'm not good with people but then I've got Asperger's Syndrome so why should I expect to be?

I think you are putting far too much pressure on yourself unnecessarily. It's good to try and improve yourself but to castigate yourself for not being like others when you are having to cope with a socially debilitating condition is being very unfair on yourself.



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18 Mar 2013, 9:53 am

Tequila wrote:
thomas81 wrote:
i find that avoiding watching reality tv and other neurotypical claptrap helps to avoid this negativity.


I never watch TV.

Any other suggestions? We're talking about real life people here.


I find high-achieving people intimidating, especially if they have the advantage of a pleasant appearance and a happy personality. So far I haven't found a solution to this problem. TBH, I kind-of find youintimidating.

I have the head-knowledge to remember that no matter how talented or achieving or beautiful I may or may not be, there's always always somebody who's got more or less than I do. But I can't seem to internalize the idea. I still get overwhelmed by inferiority when I encounter someone with confidence.


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