[quote=@Cynder] Apologies, but I don't really get what you're saying. I'm probably still be tired/waking up and I apologize for that, but I think the bottomline gist of it is that it isn't a cynical mindset, but there's no way we can truly feel another's pain, right? [/quote] More like that people try to avoid understanding each other because it requires them to admit things they're afraid to admit, like the randomness of genetics and 'but for the grace of God there go I.' A lot of people like to reassure themselves that they're normal, society prizes conformity and normalcy, and subconsciously shunning the mentally ill is part of that reassurance for a lot of them. As you no doubt know, there's a lot of shit in the subconscious, and that doesn't merely apply to people with a mental illness. (or a physical one, though people tend to be less able to bullshit their way past debilitating physical symptoms so they are forced to sympathize in a genuine fashion.) I'm not saying a perfect understanding is possible, I'm saying that human beings can generally do a lot better. ;)