Louis C.K. has this joke

about a lion who describes humans as wide-eyed, terrified, screaming maniacs. (It’s a lot funnier when he tells it, but that’s the gist of it.)

The joke, although I’m sure you get it, is that since the lion frightens people, he only encounters frightened people, and therefore believes that people are constantly frightened. It’s a question of Ser vs. estar, for those of you who took high school Spanish.

Of course, like so much of LCK’s material, this simple joke is merely the exposed tip of an enormous, submerged iceberg of thought.

(What’s the opposite of submerged? Is the tip of an iceberg just merged? Supermerged?  Surmurged? Hypermerged? Ubermerged?)

Anyway, here’s something to consider: every person you’ve ever interacted with (in person) has had two things in common.

1. They’re a human being.

2. They’re interacting with you.

So…isn’t it entirely possible that many of the assumptions we make about people in general are really just specific to people interacting with us?

If you’re a bit abrasive or offensive, you might get the impression that people in general are sensitive and uncomfortable.

If you’re socially awkward and unpleasant to interact with, you might think that all humans brush people off after a minute of conversation—that it’s a quality of the species.

If you’re Tommy Wiseau, you might think that people tend to laugh at absolutely nothing all the time. Because, you know, he doesn’t know that he’s an absolutely ridiculous person.

Just think about that. As you’re going about your business. If you notice a trend across people that you interact with—consider that it might be you that needs to change.