Front Porch

I did a little sympathy shopping the other day.

Phil McGraw had a metaphor he used that describes why people do the things they do.

He said that everyone has a currency they use to get what they want.

If you know what a person’s currency is, you can understand why they do what they do.

Even when people seem self-destructive and their actions don’t make logical sense, there is always a reason, no matter how convoluted it may seem.

A simple example: I post a quarter's worth of my ‘worry or sorrow.’ I get, in return, a dollar’s worth of ‘concern’ (and in some cases, I get ten dollars’ worth of advice). On occasion, I get a lead nickel's worth of ‘who cares’, but that is rare and depends on my audience.

Many people post hate, and you may ask yourself, What are they purchasing?

Maybe it is more anger. Perhaps they are buying into the brotherhood of hate.

After all, sometimes it is better to feel a part of something than to be alone

, and maybe some people have a hoard of hate cash.

The whole point is that to understand why people post the things they do, you have to consider their currency and the expected bargain they want in return.