Why you gotta be so mean?

I've been thinking about this post for the last few weeks and it seems that the only way I could get my feelings adequately across is by using the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song...which if you know me, you know she's so not my favorite person!  However she seems to have the right sentiment for the moment.  Where do I begin?...

A few months ago I started a new job that I love with lots of people that I love.  They are wonderful people and I really love working with them...most of them that is.  Over the last few weeks I've come to realize that 95% of the people are truly lovely to be around, but it's that last 5% that are really vexing me.  To that 5%: I implore you to listen to said Taylor Swift song.

These people are nice to each other on the surface, but never miss a chance to bad-mouth the other behind their backs.  They are short, curt and even rude to others asking the simplest questions.  They are unprofessional in meetings, acting like school children gossiping about their enemies.

To deal with this behavior, over the course of the last week, I've been told to:
1. Let (insert rude behavior here) roll off my back.
2. "Try to toughen up!"
3.  "Try not caring so much!"
4.  Just say (insert expletive here) and get on with your life.
5.  Stop being so nice all the time.

All of these things, I know will fail miserably.  So I've decided (since this is a blog about doing new things) to do the only thing I know how to deal with the situtation and to ignore all of this advice.  I know this sounds un-sensible but I promise there's logic behind it!

I am a nice person.  That's who I am and who I try to be.  I try to treat others in the same way that I want to be treated.  I don't see the point in being ignorant or rude.  It doesn't get me anywhere.  What's wrong with that?  Why would I want to change to become someone I'm not?  That's just lowering myself to the same standards that aggravate me on a daily basis.

So my pledge to myself and the people I love is that I will not change.  I know this will probably cause some heart ache (along with all my good qualities, I tend to take things too personally, and I will most likely have an ulcer by the time I'm 30 because of this...) but this is the person that I've grown to be.  And for the first time I don't see a problem with it!

Not to sound so cliche but wouldn't the world be a lot nicer place if more people weren't so mean?