Liking something vs wanting it from everyone

These are all things:

  • Liking an activity or kind of interaction
  • Wanting to do that activity or interaction with everyone or most people who want it from you
  • Wanting to do that thing with every nice person you like who wants it from you.

These are often conflated, but they shouldn’t be. They are different. It is possible, and ok, to like something but not want it from everyone.

Here is a common example; the next couple of posts will be different common examples

Touch:

  • Some people like to be touched; some people don’t
  • Some people are ok with being touched by strangers; some people aren’t
  • Some people like to be touched by friends, but not people they aren’t close with
  • Some people who like being touched by friends like being touched by everyone they like; some people only like being touched by some people
  • Some people only like affectionate touch from sexual or romantic partners
  • Some people only like affectionate touch from close relatives
  • All of these things are ok, and liking some forms of touch doesn’t mean you have to like or accept touch from everyone