The phrase, I did not feel welcome, sparked this thought. On one hand, is a bunch of openly hostile or rude hosts where you don't need to 'feel' unwelcome; you're pretty much being told you are. It's the other, more subtle variety where on one hand one feels unwelcome whereas the host has no clue what this person is talking about because the host is just being normal. Just to cite a case in point - people feel this way at weddings when they feel they are not accorded enough importance.
In such cases, I would like to think that one feels only as welcome as one feels. I can feel welcome - go looking to be part of something, or I can feel unwelcome and look for all the signs of feeling unwelcome and build a story on that.
Whichever way, I guess we get what we want - the happiness of participating and spreading joy for ourselves and others or cribbing about life and creating a drama and spreading unhappiness.
In such cases, I would like to think that one feels only as welcome as one feels. I can feel welcome - go looking to be part of something, or I can feel unwelcome and look for all the signs of feeling unwelcome and build a story on that.
Whichever way, I guess we get what we want - the happiness of participating and spreading joy for ourselves and others or cribbing about life and creating a drama and spreading unhappiness.
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