Hi Ami,
I've noticed this as well, not just on-line but also in real life. People I meet who are fun, friendly, warm and full of empathy often have experienced major problems in their lives. I suppose people cope with adversity in different ways; some learn from it and use it to change their behaviour and their perception of life and others don't! I have a group of 'mum' friends (women I've met through various mum and baby groups) and there are a small cluster who, to me, have it all. Their children are healthy, they live in nice houses, they're married, yet they moan constantly and talk as if life is a big long energy drain. In particular, they moan about their children constantly. I don't understand this - they wanted to have children, one or two tried for years before falling pregnant with their second or third babies, their kids are healthy - so why moan constantly? Yet I've other 'mum' friends who've had real problems - marriage breakdown, domestic violence, bereavement etc - and their attitude is 'well, that's life - you just get on with it'. It's funny but I prefer being around people who've had problems, they seem more 'real' to me.
Great thread, thanks for starting it.
Hugs to you xx
