There Will Always Be Jerks [Mindful Moments]

There will always be annoying people around us. That’s just how life works. There will always be jerks.

We often go through life with this quiet hope—or maybe expectation—that the people we deal with daily, especially our family or colleagues, will be thoughtful, cooperative, and on the same wavelength as us. But that’s rarely the case. The reality is: not everyone is going to be kind, understanding, or even reasonable. Some people will just rub you the wrong way. Some people will test your patience without even trying. And some—let’s be honest—will be jerks.

But here’s the thing: we shouldn’t be surprised when that happens. It’s actually more realistic to expect that not everyone around us will align with us. Not everyone will see the world the way we do. And some people will have traits that conflict with ours, sometimes in uncomfortable ways.

It’s like living anywhere on earth and expecting there won’t be flies or mosquitoes. That’s not how the world works. We don’t stop going outside because of bugs. We adapt. We find ways to coexist or protect our space—without making it our life’s mission to eliminate every single insect.

In the same way, if we keep trying to make our environment free of difficult people, we’re just setting ourselves up for frustration. A more helpful mindset might be to accept that some level of friction is part of the human experience. Annoying people aren’t exceptions—they’re part of the package.

“And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say [words of] peace.”  

- The Holy Qur’an - Surah Al-Furqan (25:63)

This verse is a simple but powerful reminder: there will always be people who speak harshly or act out of ignorance, but the way we respond says more about us than them. Walking with humility and choosing peace isn’t weakness—it’s strength, and it’s a way of protecting our own sanity in a noisy world.

So instead of waiting for life to become perfectly jerk-free, maybe it’s better to grow a little thicker skin, set healthy boundaries, and not take it all too personally. Peace comes not from the absence of annoying people, but from learning not to let them steal your calm.

“When someone irritates you, it is your own response that is irritating you. Learn to detach.” - Epictetus

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?” - Rumi