Originally Posted by Martian

That's nice. I've done nothing more than share my opinion here, and therefore have nothing to apologize for.

Also, quoting relevant text is not the same as taking it out of context. One does not always lead to the other.

FelixP: The problem I see with the way you're explaining it is that it still discounts the possibility of other outcomes. You've created a sliding scale, where more misanthropic (like more push-ups) is better. This isn't necessarily the case.

I'm fully aware that there are a lot of assholes in the world. Depending on who you ask, I'm one of them. But despite knowing that, and despite being well versed in a number of the atrocities that humanity has committed upon itself, I still choose to see the good. To be perfectly honest, there is nothing and no one in this world that I hate, and knowing the horrors that people are capable of doesn't change that.

And this is where I'm going here. Perhaps it wasn't entirely accurate to claim narcissism as a root cause, although I have known several narcissistic misanthropes (myself included). But there's still an undercurrent of elitism there. And honestly, that's fine. I may not agree with you, but if you want to tell yourself and anyone else who will listen how much better you are for only being able to see the negative aspects of history, it's not my place to tell you different. What I really don't understand, though, is the denial.