Comments by "Jeremy" (@josiah5776) on "PsycHacks" channel.

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  4. I'm glad I was very divergent from cultural norms early in life. Kindergarten, in fact. By the time I was an adult, I was very comfortable going against the grain. The only area in which I struggled was cultural expectations of marriage and family, and I paid dearly for that ... but still managed to recover and do it my way. Orion is spot on about the cost of it all. I lost both my parents, many of my friends, and my eldest child through it all. Fortunately, I am an introvert, so I don't struggle much with loneliness. I am grateful for the few who do support me and I devote my time and energy to them. DNA doesn't equal required commitment. For decades I was amazed, sometimes shocked, at the level of condemnation and vitriol thrown at me just for not conforming. For example, declining management positions so I could remain a staff engineer. This was first met with puzzlement, then gossip behind my back, and finally personal attacks to my face. Why? Who was I hurting? In fact, I was leaving a position available for someone who actually wanted it. When I chose to move away from the city to a rural, off-grid life, I met the same dynamics. First puzzlement, then gossip, then personal attacks. Again, who was I hurting? One would think that in American culture, just wanting to be left alone is a capital crime. Here's an easy one. Tell your fellow Americans you have no interest in football and couldn't care less who won whatever game. How about telling them you don't celebrate Christmas? I have never experienced such a nasty level of condemnation and attacks as I did for doing both of those. Confessing to be a cannibalistic serial killer would have gone over better. It is truly amazing how so many people are narrow-minded, intolerant, ignorant NPCs. I learned all this through trial and error. I wish someone like Dr. Taraban had been around during my childhood to educate me. Of course, that makes the assumption I would have listened. I am keeping my younger children out of the prison of Western culture ... out of public schools, out of universities, out of social media, and now out of the West entirely. I am teaching them how to succeed and be happy, without blindly conforming to what they are not. Of course, this has been met with strong criticism and condemnation from the NPCs who remain behind.
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