By default you should be nice to people. Care about their needs, avoid offending them (and if you do, apologise), avoid unnecessary lies, all that thing. And since most people are surprisingly reasonable, they’ll do the same towards you.
However. There’s always “that” arsehole, petty, assumptive person. No matter how nice you are towards them, they won’t be nice to you. Don’t be nice to them - even if on the outside it’s irrelevant, it’ll eat you from the inside and make you feel like shit. Or, like she said, “hurt your energies”.
Her 5yo got it right.
By default you should be nice to people. Care about their needs, avoid offending them (and if you do, apologise), avoid unnecessary lies, all that thing. And since most people are surprisingly reasonable, they’ll do the same towards you.
However. There’s always “that” arsehole, petty, assumptive person. No matter how nice you are towards them, they won’t be nice to you. Don’t be nice to them - even if on the outside it’s irrelevant, it’ll eat you from the inside and make you feel like shit. Or, like she said, “hurt your energies”.
“Most people don’t want you to die in a concentration camp.”
most…
I think they’re referring the few who do want that…
I am talking about the sort of everyday interaction that would make a 5yo get scolded for not being nice. This is clear by context.