You may ask a question, if we have to consider the universe as one, and treat everyone equally, why one need to avoid negativity or negative people or negative environment? Good-Bad, Positive-Negative, Love-Hate, all are different faces or state of life. I too was thinking about this for a long and some time got an answer for the same question which might differ from your thoughts, but it's my pleasure always to share my thoughts with you and to listen to your voice too.
Human mind is such that, with curiosity it gets into darkness to see what is there and then starts getting addicted to that. The bad habits many a time starts with curiosity to know what it is and what it gives...then it gets into it's web. Only the strong mind will have the power to just test and come out. Negativity or negative people are very positive in their thoughts and act. When you are interacting with such people every day, you tend to attract few things without your knowledge. Your sub-conscious mind do not know what is right and wrong because it is just a storage information place. It never segregate things, it stores as you dump there and starts working towards that. Unless your conscious mind is very strong tagged with high values, you will not be able to stop getting into that web.
For a Master the devotional and the criminal all are the same. But, the difference is he knows not to get attracted towards the negative but he will have the power to transform the negative mind into positive through his energy. He would have worked very hard and put in lots of effort to build that kind of positive energy within. He will keep generating that positive vibe day in and out to share with others. So is our life too. We have too little time to spend on developing such positive vibes, so it is said that until you become very strong to deal with negative vibes it is better to keep them away and practice the positive thoughts, act and energy so that, you are very strong to deal with negativity of the world without avoiding anything.
Be always smiling, positive and energetic. Interact with the self and walk in to listen to your intuition. It gives signals and you will understand what is to be with and what is not. Silence or keeping your life on a meditative mode is the only way to gain the energy and understand the happening of the universe.
Let me listen to your experience through your voice...
Let us keep learning from all..