Mature, or childish? Some views.

When I was little, I had no concept of the idea of "playing favorites". Now, I understand it better. But there were things from back then which, while I now know that they happen, I still have really no understanding of why people do them.

Spiteful gossip. You know, telling lies about someone to make them look bad. Or even telling the truth in a way that makes it seem worse than it is. Why would you do something like that to hurt another person? I don't understand it.

Envy. Oh, I understand wanting something someone else has. I do not understand wanting to take it away from that person instead of getting your own. I do not understand wanting to make someone else pay for having something you don't.

Teasing. I don't really understand why making someone else uncomfortable is considered fun, or even friendly. I do it, because it's expected, but it never feels as much fun as other people make it out to be.

Falsehoods for fun? I honestly don't know what to call it. Probably taking advantage of gullibility for fun. The only way is to give an example. Telling a little kid who doesn't get that lies happen, that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Or from feeding them chocolate. And never letting them see the part where the chocolate is stirred into the milk. So then they grow up believing it to be true. It gets worse when it's someone who is "supposed to know better", because then there's this sadistic glee behind it. "I got her good!"

Doing something that a person dislikes, because they dislike it. By that I mean, knowing that someone dislikes being called Cat, calling that person Cat, and the purpose is to make that person uncomfortable.

I guess, I just don't understand why people want to be mean. Or why people don't consider the things I've listed to be mean. I know they happen, and I've done a few with people I know take delight in it, because they enjoy doing it to others so much. But when a person is known to think that those things are mean, they tend to get teased, called a "goody two-shoes", or other such slurs. What's so wrong with being sensitive? Why is it such a bad thing to want to treat others with respect, to take a question seriously, to be uncomfortable with the sorts of jokes that are made to make a person look stupid?

When I was little, taking things seriously like that made older people call me "mature". But now that I'm older, I get told I'm being a baby for thinking the same things that made me so mature. It doesn't make sense to me. If it's mature for a child to think it, is it not something a mature person should be thinking?

I guess, having been fooled that often has made me a weird sort of cynical. I'm still way too trusting in many ways, but in others, I'm very paranoid. Someone who has a habit of playing tricks, well, it will take a long time for me to trust each thing they have to say. And why should I trust someone who wants to make a child believe the moon is made of green cheese, just so they can laugh when the child repeats this "fact"?