The holiday season is in full swing, and we feel like it’s the best time of the year to remember how wholesome, kind, supportive, welcoming, and selfless people can truly be, despite their perceived differences. That’s why we’re featuring the ‘Gates Open, Come On In’ subreddit, an online community of nearly 340k people today.
The online group presents itself as the exact opposite of r/gatekeeping and features folks being true legends who accept others no matter who they are, instead of angry gremlins who don’t want to let anyone new into their communities. Scroll down for some of the best anti-gatekeeping posts and hard proof that people really do have each others’ backs when push comes to shove.
Pssst, Pandas, if you’re looking to restore some more faith in humanity, then you’ll definitely want to check out Bored Panda’s previous article about some more great real-life anti-gatekeeping examples. You can read it right here.
British psychotherapist Silva Neves shared with Bored Panda his take on why some people feel the need to act as gatekeepers at all. "The theory is that it comes from our inner sense of survival. At times when we lived in tribes, it was part of survival to fear people outside of the tribe because they might have been a threat to the tribe," he explained to me. "In our modern world, to some extent, we have kept that sense of survival, although unnecessary now, but still subconsciously strong."
However, Silva notes just how much impact even small gestures of kindness can have. "When we learn to be kind to others, we're actually learning to be kind to ourselves. We need both." Scroll down for to read what he had to say about this.
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"We don't often realize that a very small gesture of kindness, even just a smile to a stranger, can trigger a chain of kindness and love to their social circle, and the ripple effects can be felt to the greater society," psychotherapist Silva shared with Bored Panda the power that even a small act of kindness can have in the world around us. In fact, we're naturally hard-wired to help others.
Everyone (Saw This Posted Somewhere Else On Reddit So Thought It'd Be Worth The Cross-Post)
Marry Whomever You Wish
"Being kind and helpful is a natural high for us, as it produced feel-good brain chemicals, so it tends to make us happier. Seeing others happy can also produce feel-good chemicals. So it is all round a very good thing for physical and mental health to be kind to ourselves and others," he said.
"If we do that, we tend to live happier lives and, even if we don't always see it, it is important to remind ourselves that any small gesture of kindness contributes to a kinder world. And, right now, the world needs a lot more kindness."
I Just Like Animals
We Can All Get Along!
Everyone Starts Somewhere
‘Action for Happiness’ explained to me earlier that altruism and kindness are closely linked to our own happiness.
"Think about how you can reach out and do things for others, help a neighbor or volunteer for a cause, we get happiness high from helping other people. Or start small and simply list three things that you can be grateful for each night before bed,” Sarah Vero from ‘Action for Happiness’ shared with Bored Panda.
According to Sarah, the 10 keys to happier living are: “Giving, relating, exercising, awareness, trying out, direction, resilience, emotions, acceptance, and meaning. We are likely to be happier if our lives have direction, meaning, and purpose and if we are part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Depression Gateopening
Read It All
Keep Doing What You Like, Support Others Who Do The Sam
Vanessa King, the Head of Psychology at ‘Action for Happiness,’ noted that we’re a social species and that helping others out is part of who we are. Being kind, lending a helping hand are the “social glue that keeps us together.”
“When we do things for others it activates the reward center in the brain, so when we give a gift it feels the same as receiving a gift," Vanessa stressed.
“Small daily actions one at a time can help us to make altruism a lifetime habit. You could start out small by deciding you are going to smile at everyone you meet or pay three people a compliment today,” she said.
You're Not A Product
I have to say the internet ruined quite a few hobbies for me. Going out to find tips and tricks and finding communities full of people who are soooooo much better at it then I’ll ever be, discourages me too much. In “ye old days” I just did whatever I liked and never knew how bad I was at it. So now I just avoid those kind of hobbies online. I’m happier not knowing if I’m good or not :)
I Love This Man More Than Certain Family Members
Damn, son, just wear a crop top and some underpants. Get those wet and you'll get some real attention.
This Is Beautiful
Human beings don’t hold a monopoly on empathy. Plenty of other animals have feelings and have demonstrated that they feel bad for other beings if they’re in trouble. For instance, a while back I wrote about an experiment on rat friendship.
As it turns out, rats help each other out if they sense that they’re distressed. However, they prefer to help rats who are most like them. Scientist Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal told Bored Panda that “rats will help others of their ingroup (cagemates and strangers of the same strain) but not the outgroup (strangers of a black-furred strain they are not familiar with).” In other words, rats are selective in who they help. However, this behavior changes the more familiar rats become with members of their outgroup.
Working People Are My People!
Always keep in mind that your employer is paying you the least amount they feel they can to keep you around(Sure, there are exceptions, but 98% are).
Art Is For Everyone
Humiliation Fetish
“The encouraging thing is that we then found that cohabitation, living with a rat from the other strain for two weeks totally changes this behavior, and now rats will help that cagemate from the other strain. Even more impressively, after living together for two weeks with one rat of the other strain, they will help strangers from the other strain as well,” Bartal said.
The scientist added that social experience is actually what determines whether or not rats help each other, not their genetic similarity. Bartal said that in one case, rats were fostered at birth with those from another strain. “Like Mowgli, they were raised with the other strain and never encountered their own kind. When they grew up, they only helped rats of the adoptive strain, not the biological strain.”
For All Relationships
With Open Arms
You Are All Right
In Bartal’s view, a lot of the discussion on animal empathy gets stuck on semantic issues. “For instance, the definition of empathy, how can we say that animals really feel empathy the same way we do. But empathy is a construct. We don’t even know what it is in humans really!” she said.
“I operate on the assumption that there is an evolutionary continuum between species, and that the basic building blocks of our responses are shared. Being sensitive to distress in others and motivated to care about their suffering is as old as the moment mother and child became connected for survival after birth.”
I Liked This One
Exactly! I almost always play easy mode, because I suck at them, but still enjoy them. Gaming is supposed to be fun, relaxing and a way to escape reality, not a second job! Unless it is your job, of course :D
Can’t Decide Whether This Belongs Here Or In Humansbeingbros
Have A Seat, Enjoy The View, Everyone Is Welcome
Pros And Cons Of GF...
Anyone Can Play Games
Liberal Arts
Gaming Is For Everyone
My dad never had any sons. He introduced his two daughters to video games and motorcycle racing. I became a lifelong gaming enthusiast, and my little sister bought a motorbike. :D
Respect To You For Doing Anything
Drink What You Like!!!
Spread The Positivity
A Novel‘S Worth Of Nerd S**t
Let People Be Happy
Wholesome Hotel
Let's Just Love Everyone
If anyone wants to continue the heartwarming goodwill, Jewish Voice for Peace is a great organization that supports Palestinian self-determination, supports peace and justice in the Middle East, and stands against anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry.
Like What You Like
Everyone Is Welcome On This Server
Does This Doormat Count?
Vegan BBQ
You're Never Too Old For Success
This Subreddit In A Nutshell. This Applies To So Many Communities
When The Old Becomes New Again
I hate it when older people say young ones cannot like old music. My mom is 62yrs old. Young in the 70's. Never cared much about the music back then. Me, her youngest child at 23yrs old made her a big fan of ABBA, Queen, Uriah Heep, Suzie Quatro, ... GOOD MUSIC NEVER GETS OLD!!!!
Load More Replies...I remember one time I was at an ice cream shop waiting in line and Uptown Girl started playing and so I started lipping it because I love that song. When it was my turn the guy's keeping the ice cream was like " I-I'm surprised you know this song" the look on his face was priceless 😂
I know it’s not that old but I got into One Direction a couple months ago and I could tell you every thing about them and I love dissecting their songs and hearing the little details you might not notice. And Louis’ voice is ANGELIC.
I love listening to music the way you describe. It's wonderful!
Load More Replies...Adult daughter sends me links to great new music she has discovered. I love it! I introduced her to the music of my generation when she was little and now she is introducing me to the music of her generation.
There are a lot of "Reaction to" videos on Youtube. It's fun to see how young people discover music from the sixties and seventies. Only downside is that there are a lot of channels from people who are only doing it for the money. You can see their fake enthusiasm.
I was going to post something similar. I subscribe to a couple of reaction channels because they are discovering the music I like for the first time which is great to watch. They even manage to interview the bands on occasion as well
Load More Replies...Me with Led Zeppelin. My folks were like, "that's really cool, but why can't he get that excited about school," and I was like "um, cuz algebra isn't f*****g Kashmir!"
Kashmir was the first Zeppelin song I heard when they were interviewing a guitarist (forgot what band) from a, at the time, very popular dance music group and asking him about musical influences. I had never heard it before and was (and still am) totally blown away by the song. Also first time I heard T-Rex and found out about the whole glam rock period
Load More Replies...My nephew acts like he has discovered cats and the quirky things they do. He adopted two, and regularly sends group messages about how surprising and special they are because they won't stop playing in cardboard boxes, or curling up under his covers, or all the things that anybody who has EVER had cats know that every single cat does. At first I was quietly being annoyed, but then told my inner eye-roller to STFU because having your own kitties for the first time, watching them do their kitty things, is effing AMAZING! <3
remember one day (many many years ago) i find old vinyl from my parent. i find some deep purple and black sabbath. that's where i discover Paranoid from Black Sabbath! that song is in every of my playlist ever since
Black Sabbath were great! Also, the story behind Tony's fingertips is worth knowing, and ... they were great. Paranoid got overplayed on the radio for a long, long time, as their only song ever to appear there (it took years until I heard War Pigs and Iron Man on the radio...), but ... but, no matter what, no matter that - it's a great song. Covered countless times - the Meteors' one is worth listening.
Load More Replies...My son... at 17 (now 44) who was totally into rap and hip hop, one day comes down the stairs gushing of this new artist he "discovered." Son: "This guy's got chops! He can really sing!" Me: "who were you listening to"? Son: "you probably never heard of him... His name is Frank Sinatra!" Me: Ummm OK! LOL! Frank Fking Sinatra... yeah youngblood, I'v never heard of him!
A friend of mine and I took my 3yo around the neighborhood last night to look at all the Christmas lights. It's his first time old enough to appreciate them. He was completely mind blown, and my friend and I had so much fun watching him!
When I saw my son grooving at an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert....😍😍😍
It also works the other way round, I'm an old guy who "discovered" Trance music. Now I soooooo want to go to a rave party!
Lol I'm not a bit mad when younger people encounter old stuff and get excited about it. I do get a little miffed when I see instances of them pretending they invented/discovered old stuff, despite living in an era where they can confirm old dates or trends with a 2-second Google search. I especially-especially have issues when they try to pick apart old stuff they barely understand, just to trash it and then turn around to rag on anyone who corrects their statements. This isn't the same as them expressing a difference of opinion. It's more like a person, who is too uninformed to have an solid, founded opinion, butting in on people who do have informed opinions/facts at their disposal, and *then trying to shame them for having interests* when their uneducated statements are criticized. I should add that the Devil's advocate types irritate me, regardless of the generation they are from. Basically, please don't rile people up for attention and frame it like you are truly interested in having an argument.
Since we're discussing retro music: there was a short video clip floating around of the recording process for "We Are the World." MJ sang a little, then stepped aside so Huey Lewis could step up to the mike after him. Only Lewis is shown on screen in the final cut, so it's clear that MJ only stepped aside so he wouldn't be in the final cut. MJ was staring neutrally because it's just what anyone would do. There were tons of (non-sarcastic) comments from Gen-Z users claiming that Michael was "throwing shade" at Huey Lewis for "ruining the moment". However: that recording session was notoriously peaceful, with no egos or bad blood in the way. Plus, Lewis is a legend in his own right- it's a guarantee that they'd love his older stuff. Despite being a Gen-Y Millennial, I was given a barrage of "OK Boomer" responses and given so much flack for trying to set the record straight.
Load More Replies...Sharing the music I've always love with my kid has been great. He'll probably always love at least a couple of my fave bands. But he's now at an age where he's starting to diacov his own music and I think that's rad. He's 8 and is starting to dig techno. Not my thing but hell yeah play that song you like for me!
I've decided I think it's weird when people get judged for the music they like. And the new generations can love old songs and the old generation can love new songs. And if you love a band and everyone tells you they're sh*t - too bad for them. Listen to them anyway and enjoy the music!
I feel this with my husband often. He is Swiss and I'm Canadian, so every so often we discover that the other had no idea About something that is significant to us. Like, I just found out my husband had o idea who Frosty the Snowman is! He will learn this year though😅
When I first heard Time by Pink Floyd, it was when my dad was blasting it full-volume in his garage. I literally went into a small trance and he was like "Right? RIGHT?" Then we played the song over and over again. We don't have the best relationship, but I will always be grateful for him passing down his music taste to me.
Kind of off topic, but the other day in English class me and my friend were reciting Bohemian Rhapsody, and we got it stuck in the teachers head. So she played Bohemian Rhapsody on the speakers and the entire class just kind of sang along to the lyrics while working (some more enthusiastically than others)
I am sure I know which part he was referring to in paint it black. A very intense song, fun to play also ... tricky at some points, but getting them, just to vary them every time it i played, it fun, too ... that, generally, is what makes the Stones, the Keith-parts, great - that you can add in and leave out a lot, and it still stays the same in some way, ...
So the stereo in my car stinks so I listen to music through my high quality earbuds (so worth it) and I hear so many nuances of the stuff I grew up listening to that it's new all over again.
This is because "music" nowadays sucks so much ass that of course older music sounds better! Grime and drill winning at the MOBO awards when black culture gave us blues, jazz, motown, soul, the garage of the 90's...my god, music is like everything nowadays, way more quantity, and zero quality because of it.
Love Is Always Valid. Assume The Best First!
this! i am truly loved for the first time in my life, and im in my early 40s. its amazing and i want to share that. If you've always had that it might seem a bit lame to post about it, but take a second to consider experiencing it for the first time
Love What You Are
No Beer Is Girly Beer
I Love My Grandma So Much. She Got Her Point Across Without Being Mean To The Family Friend
Can't Argue With Mom!
Like What You Like
You can find men or women attractive and it not be sexual at all...
There's Some Logic There
As A Metal Head, Everyone Is Welcome!
Vent’s Open Come On In
Fire
Play The Game Any Way You Want
Note: this post originally had 79 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Lovely post! I agree with them all, and forgive me I know I'll get down voted, but I just don't feel comfortable with gender neutral toilets. For no other reason than the fact there are some real dangerous creeps in this world. It just scares me I guess.
Over 20 years ago I studied in Copenhagen and the school had gender neutral toilets. They still have them and it was absolutely no problem when I was there. What I always wonder, why do apparently a lot of people honestly think a "women only"-sign will somehow keep male rapists out of women's bathrooms? An insane amount of women and girls have already been molested or worse in "their" (public) bathroom by despicable bastards. Men and boys have been molested in their bathrooms by despicable bastards. Most people are decent folks, so don't fear average dudes in your bathroom. It also smells a wee bit of transphobia, too, especially when trans people don't "pass".
Load More Replies...I know this maybe the same post as before but I still want to do it. To all the people reading this: You are beautiful, you are unique, you have so much talents. You are a special protagonist in your story. This may be the end of 2021. If there's any good things happen in your life, keep moving forward because it's not the end of the story, this is a new chapter of your life. If bad things had happened to you, don't stop, keep marching, because you are in your character development story. We may have never meet face to face before, but we are friends that shaking hands and said how do you do, no matter where we are from, what color we have, if we are are part of queer or not or what religions we follow. May your day fill with rainbows
Genuine Q: is there a label for people who don't like labels? No problem with other people doing it if it works for them but I've always struggled to think of myself as anything except just a person and I don't like feeling I have to pick a box and stay in it.
I agree entirely! I remember being in school (a little before gender fluid etc was as present in the media) and going 'I like this, but don't really fit into this group' etc. I don't think you need to label yourself or others, it doesn't effect how I interact with people and why should it? I don't even find job titles something I need to know about people in my personal life.
Load More Replies...You know I find it funny that boredpanda takes a lot of its content from Reddit but practically everyone on Reddit hates boredpanda because if all the liberals lol
Lovely post! I agree with them all, and forgive me I know I'll get down voted, but I just don't feel comfortable with gender neutral toilets. For no other reason than the fact there are some real dangerous creeps in this world. It just scares me I guess.
Over 20 years ago I studied in Copenhagen and the school had gender neutral toilets. They still have them and it was absolutely no problem when I was there. What I always wonder, why do apparently a lot of people honestly think a "women only"-sign will somehow keep male rapists out of women's bathrooms? An insane amount of women and girls have already been molested or worse in "their" (public) bathroom by despicable bastards. Men and boys have been molested in their bathrooms by despicable bastards. Most people are decent folks, so don't fear average dudes in your bathroom. It also smells a wee bit of transphobia, too, especially when trans people don't "pass".
Load More Replies...I know this maybe the same post as before but I still want to do it. To all the people reading this: You are beautiful, you are unique, you have so much talents. You are a special protagonist in your story. This may be the end of 2021. If there's any good things happen in your life, keep moving forward because it's not the end of the story, this is a new chapter of your life. If bad things had happened to you, don't stop, keep marching, because you are in your character development story. We may have never meet face to face before, but we are friends that shaking hands and said how do you do, no matter where we are from, what color we have, if we are are part of queer or not or what religions we follow. May your day fill with rainbows
Genuine Q: is there a label for people who don't like labels? No problem with other people doing it if it works for them but I've always struggled to think of myself as anything except just a person and I don't like feeling I have to pick a box and stay in it.
I agree entirely! I remember being in school (a little before gender fluid etc was as present in the media) and going 'I like this, but don't really fit into this group' etc. I don't think you need to label yourself or others, it doesn't effect how I interact with people and why should it? I don't even find job titles something I need to know about people in my personal life.
Load More Replies...You know I find it funny that boredpanda takes a lot of its content from Reddit but practically everyone on Reddit hates boredpanda because if all the liberals lol