By default, nowadays I basically sit around expecting disappointment. You'd think being prepared would help, but it doesn't. A particular source of anguish is being walked over by people who are unanimously praised by everyone around me. This has happened so many times that it seems like character doesn't matter anymore. But since that seems like an extreme possibility, I must consider the alternative, namely that my reading of character is based on a meaningless code of conduct. This code is nothing that others seem to be aware of or care to find out, and yet it's how I thought we were supposed to be living all these years. That's great.