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
What's wrong with this room? I'm going on vacation to do some sightseeing and hiking, not to stay in a hotel room anyway.
Bruh, as long as it's got a bed and a bathroom, and it doesn't have some kind of infestation then there's nothing wrong with it
A bathroom? Where do you think you are, the Ritz? Shared bathroom on the floor.
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I've always stayed in budget hotels or b&bs. All I want from holiday accommodation is for it to be clean and in a safe neighbourhood, leaving me more money to spend on doing and seeing things
I've stayed in b&bs that were a lot better than any 5* hotel! They have character and i like it!
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Does the door lock? Does the toilet flush? Does the shower work? Are the sheets clean? If yes to all above, it's good enough for me
General rule is to be clean and functional! All the rest is just luxury that you don't really need if you are planning to go around and explore
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I have a knee jerk hatred for the 🥴 emoji because of how often it gets used by judgmental people.
Looks nice to me. What do you want? An ice sculpture of a swan when you walk in? Peacocks wandering the room? All that can get messy.
I quite like hotels like this, I like fancy ones too but love me a bargain hotel that you can use as a base, that's comfortable, clean and has the facilities we need. We went to Edinburgh zoo during summer, stayed in a travelodge that was £29 for the night to save us driving home after a long day (anyone who's been there will attest to the fact it's bloody knackering, especially for kids, since it's on a steep hill - awesome view at the top! And the one way system due to covid meant taking the long way everywhere) - my 7yr old has declared that it was the best hotel in the world with the best bed and we need to go back and stay for 100 days - it's tempting
Cheaper room = more foods, museums, tours, and gifts to bring home. Is it clean? Is it safe? Awesome.
My grandparents took all the grandkids (I'm taking in the teens for numbers) and their parents to the beach for a weekend every summer for 20 years of my life, started before I arrived too. When I got older I realized the hotel was one like the picture as far as the stereotype or insinuation goes. But as a kid I thought it was a palace. We all stayed next to eachother. Ran to the beach every morning and visited the tide pools. Vacation how you can. That's all that matters. I remember that place as a kingdom because of the people I was there with.
Staying in hotelrooms is boring. Spend your time wandering on beaches or climbing mountains or walking in city streets and parks. As long as the rooms are clean I'm happy to stay in andy kind of room
Wouldn't a five-star hotel room look like this? Not every room in that hotel is a suite.
If you're going on vacation for the hotel room, you've got a weird idea of vacationing.
At my age, all I'm going to do is shower and sleep in there. Who cares?
Who cares what the room looks like (well unless you're someone who posts to social media selfies of them in said rooms to make others feel inferior/themselves superior)? It's where you sleep- you make memories by going out and doing stuff
As long as there are no bedbugs in the room/complex, no mold etc in the room or the bathroom and it is secure, clean and comfortable so you are not trying to sleep in a DMZ then wtf is the problem? Have stayed in expensive places for work and you could tell they were cutting corners with housekeeping and stayed in cosy family run motels that were spotless and welcoming. I know which I prefer
We go to any hotel that will allow us to take our dog! Sometimes the bed isn't the best, but our dog is happy, we are happy!
Yup! One time, we went to see my in-laws, stayed on the beach in a Hilton. We even had our dog with us! They love to have pets! If they are extra good and don't use the bathroom anywhere, you get your 50.00 deposit back. Our dog was extra good, and even barked softly! Lol ! They brought him a treat when we ordered room service!
I am guessing you don't get invited to share vacations much. I've always stayed in budget hotels, leaves more money to enjoy the location. If luxury hotels are your thing, fine... but lots of us don't care that much about where we dump our luggage and take a shower.
Most of the time you spend in the hotel room, you're usually sleeping, and as long as the beds are comfy, the environment is relatively quiet and dark; who cares what the room looks like? Sure, a nice-looking hotel room is a plus, but it's just one of many potential pluses on a vacation.
My fiance and I aren't rich, but we're both professionals and we don't have kids, so we're not suffering. When we travel we usually still stay at hostels or such places. A bunch of our best memories are with random people in those places.
Are the sheets clean? Does the door lock? Does the TV work? Then what more do you need? It's not like you're gonna be spending a lot of time in your room anyway, right?
My dad always says that as long as there's a clean and comfortable bed, he doesn't care what the hotel is like, because all the hotel is, is where you're spending the night to sleep. Because you're out enjoying the sights and such the rest of the time.
Youth hostel FTW. Met an 80yo lady in one in England. She was back from backpacking in India by hersel.
I love the vibes, but the rowdy nights not so much. In some places the have a no party rule. Love those places. In the end, a hostel/hotel is a place to sleep. You can party your hat off elsewhere. 😊
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I love this room. It reminds me of where we stayed in Florida when I was a kid. AC didn't have the greatest controls back then and you would come in from the beach to the arctic. I loved the feel of the bedspreads.
As long as it's clean, no stains on walls or anywhere else, and quiet, I'm good.
With very few exceptions, these are the types of hotels our family stayed in traveling the United States and Mexico. (Teacher's salary) ( MIL went with us on most of them,)1
We usually cram 7 people - parents with 5 kids 3-12 yo- on a small budget hotel with only a queen bed.. we bring our own portable matress.. poor people deserve vacation too... we use our own hard earn saving so we can pay cash for everything.. and we enjoy everybit of it..
The room is just to grab some zzzz's and get cleaned up between adventures. As long as it's clean and insect free it doesn't matter.
Some people are lucky to have any room. Some people camp in a cramped van.
I hate hotels like this. Why the fück can’t they at least buy more contemporary bedspreads?! But yes do what you need to do. Places like this make vacationing affordable for people! Everyone should have a way to enjoy themselves regardless of income.
Notice it says "don't invite me?" Not a effin problem. If I'm doin it with out you, my accommodations can be nicer, since I only gotta pay for one.
Don't invite me on vacation if you're staying in hotels like this if you expect me to not enjoy the s**t out of that room and the vacation overall
If it's not camping, I'm happy with it. Well, with the possible exception of that motel that turned out to be where all the local sex workers took their clients and some guy pounded on our door yelling for "Sheila" at 2:00 a.m..
We don't care where we stay, as long as we are together. We don't care what car we ride in, as long as we're together. We just don't care, as long as we're together.
All rooms look the same when I'm sleeping, which is the only thing you should be doing in a room while on vacation.
I can afford 5 star hotels and usually avoid them because I don't like having people doing things for me that I'd rather do myself. I can carry my own bag, I can find my room without help, I can turn down the sheets on my bed myself.
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
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".
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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.
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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
