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Take something you don’t like and try to like it

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Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#21

Post by zwnow »

kingkawn wrote: post #13
zwnow wrote: post #10

Listen, I am 30 now. Not too old, still missing plenty of experiences in life. But I know what stuff I do not like, and I won't force myself to try and like them. I hate sports, I tried liking it, did not work out (heh pun intended). I hate cooking, I try it every other day, I will never like it. Its okay not to like things.

How are you an old curmudgeon at 30

Long time depression, father dead at 15, half of family dead since, possibly adhd, moved places like 8 times, poor (thankfully no debt), balding, never had a relationship, constant anger due to the stupidity of other people (when reading comments on news articles as an example), and and and...

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#23

Post by jraph »

zwnow wrote: post #10

Listen, I am 30 now. Not too old, still missing plenty of experiences in life. But I know what stuff I do not like, and I won't force myself to try and like them. I hate sports, I tried liking it, did not work out (heh pun intended). I hate cooking, I try it every other day, I will never like it. Its okay not to like things.

> I know what stuff I do not like

You know that there are some things you don't like almost for sure. That makes all the difference.

I'm slightly older than you and keep running into things I used to dislike and that I surprisingly dislike less now. And that feels good.

Keeping the door open on disliking less seems critical to me.

edit: read your other comment, good luck, I wish you the best and I hope you can enjoy more things as time passes and find a path that suits you!

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#24

Post by martindbp »

nilstycho wrote: post #7
aklemm wrote: post #4

Yes! This is underrated and something I work on with my kids, because it really is a pillar of good living. For me it's been everything from many foods, to basketball, to hiking, to art museums, and maybe someday I'll even tolerate musicals.

Do you have any tips for how to work on this with kids?

Would like to know as well. Whenever I suggest something new it's a default "NO!". But if it just happens naturally it's ok. Like if I put on a song and suggest he listen to it, my kid will literally scream and cry like I'm torturing him, but if it happens to be on the radio while driving then suddenly it's fine and he'll love it. I think part of the reason is that everything is on demand these days, unlike when we grew up on broadcast tv and radio.

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#25

Post by cainxinth »

When I was in sixth grade I was given an assignment: pick a food you don't like, eat it at least once a day for a week, and then report your experience. Funnily enough, by the end of the week I didn't hate tomatoes anymore.

I applied that lesson to many other things since then and it works far more often than it fails.

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#26

Post by praptak »

esafak wrote: post #2

Or don't, and cultivate taste, which is about having a rationale for separating the good from the bad -- and disliking stuff. It might not make you popular at parties though.

No, fuck taste. It's either a class shibboleth or just a game of Calvinball where snobs trying to one up each other.

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#28

Post by celeries »

esafak wrote: post #2

Or don't, and cultivate taste, which is about having a rationale for separating the good from the bad -- and disliking stuff. It might not make you popular at parties though.

I like plain oatmeal. I wouldn't say it's "good" in most qualitative senses.

"Cultivating taste" might mean less capacity to tolerate or enjoy things that are fine-but-not-great.

Re: Take something you don’t like and try to like it

#30

Post by palata »

Many things need to be understood to be appreciated.

For instance music: we tend to like what we know, and what we know is what we hear on the radio/everywhere we go. When people tell me they don't like jazz, I always find a jazz song they like. If they say they don't like rap music, I can always find one they like. Why? Maybe because it's closer to what they already understand (making it more accessible), or maybe it has been very popular and so they've already heard it countless times (in night clubs, on the radio, ...). Most people who dislike a whole music genre generally don't really understand it and haven't put any effort into it.

You don't like churches? Go to Notre-Dame in Paris, and have someone explain to you its architecture. How they built it, how you can date the parts of the church just from its architecture.

Don't get me wrong: it's possible to dislike stuff, and it's alright. But it's worth trying to understand before disliking.

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