Try to give people the most generous reason you can for their behavior.

[StrictlyRockers]

Link to tweet

[Wingus Dingus]

1. What about the kind of people who honestly wouldn't give a fuck

that it's a mom with a birthday cake in the back, they're still going to tailgate and terrorize her? A lot of people, even while knowing mitigating facts about someone, will still be assholes. Edit to add: it's still a good coping mechanism, I don't mean to discount it.

[Harker]

5. Maybe they left their cakes out in the rain...

and they don't think that they can take it because it took so long to bake it, and they'll never have that recipe again.

[Wingus Dingus]

8. Ugh, that song. Do not want it in my head...

[Harker]

9. Sorry.

It's been a hard days night.

I meant well, but you knew that.

[Arkansas Granny]

18. I had that earworm a few days ago. Now you've gone and triggered it again!

[Harker]

21. I owe you one. Maybe two.

Please try to forgive me.

[Ilsa]

25. Haaaaaaaaa!!! No ear worm problems for me.

I tune in to some movie music by Alexandre Desplats, and I'm good. I loved the movie The Ghost Writer, and portions of the soundtrack are exhilarating.

[Harker]

28. That's good to hear.

I could feel my popularity plummeting.

I love a good soundtrack.

[unblock]

2. Never ascribe to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity

[Hugin]

12. It's all very confusing...

It would seem I'm surrounded by malicious idiots.

Seriously.

[Treefrog]

15. Lol! I love this!

My dad used to say something similar!

[Mosby]

3. I actually do this. It's helpful.

Just trying to think positive has helped me. It surprised me how negative I had become in my thought processes. Now I always assume the best with people, including here at DU.

[Haggard Celine]

7. It definitely makes a difference on DU.

The entire meaning of a post can change depending upon what you think the poster's intention is. It's best to presume that people are trying to be helpful rather than critical. You're experience on DU depends upon how you read others' posts.

[Haggard Celine]

4. Some Buddhists teach that

one of the most important things you can do is to have compassion for people. I can see how it would change a person's life to do that, and how it would change the world if even a small fraction of the population were able to do it. It's very difficult to put into practice, though.

[Harker]

6. It can be challenging.

Taking another step, there are teachings that suggest looking at the most difficult people as treasure troves of opportunity for greater understanding and compassion.

[StrictlyRockers]

14. Opportunities abound for learning experiences.

Especially in this country.

[Harker]

17. Absolutely.

I tend not to press my luck.

[sanatanadharma]

10. Why are they like that? We will likely never know the details...

...but we can assume that all people are as they are for reasons of birth, family, education, experiences, desires and choices.
Just as it is certain that there are reasons for rectums, so also there are certainly reasons for assholes.

There are reasons/causes for why assholes exist and there are reasons/causes for why we ought not tolerate their shit.
That reasons exist does not negate our being able to judge negatively those who are nattering nabobs.

In as much as desire and choice are huge factors in human behavior, we can say that assholes want and choose to be assholes.

As the OP says, an attitude of seeing common psychology in humans manifests in greater emotional maturity and freedom from excessively subjective ego.

When one feels anger, judgement or rage rising within, it is time to check one's desire system.
Desire drives action for results, wrong results lead to anger, anger feeds rage and thus wisdom wanes.
Why the anger toward others who are living lives based upon their desires not ours.

[secondwind]

11. Words to live by.................

Thank you!!!

[Vinca]

13. Trumphumper: incurable brain-eating worm disease patient?

[Treefrog]

16. K and r.

[Leith]

19. Here's my example

I was once in line to pay for some stuff at a convenience store one sunny mid afternoon. There were about 8 of us, but the line was moving quickly so nobody was impatient. We all had a clear view of the intersection in front of the store.

The light was red for the road on our left and there were several cars waiting for the green light. Suddenly a van came careening from behind. It was going at breakneck speed, honking its horn, and driving on the wrong side of the road.

All of us customers were alarmed to see that. The van ran the red light and continued down the road out of sight. There wasn't an accident, but it was very dangerous driving. Some people murmured about it, happy that we weren't on the road when it happened.

A light bulb went off over my head. "I bet he's on his way to the emergency room." The hospital was about a mile down the road. The tension broke instantly. A woman behind me in line said that she was a nurse at that hospital and wished she had thought of it.

[Harker]

20. Why are there thorns on the rosebush?

I wished only to draw it nearer, that I might enjoy its fragrance.

Each for its own sake.

[Whiskeytide]

22. I'm an impatient driver still ... but I use to be worse. I was ...

… once stuck in a long line of traffic behind what appeared to be an accident, and was muttering about it. My dad - who was riding with me - said “just consider that someone up ahead is having a much worse day than being a delayed a little”.

That stuck, and I’ve said it to my kids a hundred times.

[lamp_shade]

23. I find myself doing this often during the last few years... as I gracefully age.

Good advice.

[DEbluedude]

24. And less stressed! n/t

[Ilsa]

26. Excellent advice. nt

[Marrah_Goodman]

27. This is so true.