Someone recently yelled at me, “You just want everyone to be like you.”

The first pass, natural reaction is to conclude that’s a bit unreasonable. No one wants a world full of people who are all the same.

But then I thought about it a bit more and considered the concept.

If everyone were like me, they wouldn’t care how much money others had. They wouldn’t care what celebrities do with their free time or money. They wouldn’t watch or listen to corporate media. People would be nice to everyone and try to be helpful when and where possible.

If everyone were like me, they’d mind their own business. They’d want to best for everyone. They’d make themselves available to others when needed. They wouldn’t be worried about what kind of car they drive. They’d want and expect honesty.

Were everyone like me, people would say what they think, without fear. Conversely, they’d listen, with interest, to other people’s opinions – no matter how unusual – and truly consider the ramifications of those opinions. They’d constantly be seeking new perspectives and opinions – incorporating the compelling ones and discarding those they don’t think right.

If everyone were like me, they’d see the best in everyone. They’d be optimistic and confident that people are just trying to do the best they can and want good things for others. They’d care deeply about the state of the world and the people in it.

People like me would see race, height, gender, and other physical characteristics as useless wastes of time and thought. They’d focus on what people do and say and judge them accordingly. They’d work hard on making sure whatever they do doesn’t adversely affect others.

If everyone were like me, they wouldn’t expect anything more of others than they do of themselves. (And those expectations would be high.) They’d have high standards for everything and everyone, but grace in realizing that high standards are aspirational and now always met.

If everyone were like me, they’d never talk about race. They’d just talk about treating everyone well because no one deserves to be treated well more or less than anyone else. They’d be full of faults, but self-aware and always working on improving on them.

If everyone were like me, they’d drive with others in mind and always drive at least 10mph over the speed limit. When they went through stop lights, they’d always do what they could to make sure the driver behind them also made it through.