NOTE: This essay was written long ago and may not reflect my current viewpoint. Enjoy.
It would be fun to get a chance to be the speaker in one huge public service announcement addressed to the whole wide world. Warning: Living may cause serious health problems when mixed with massive amounts of heroin. Warning: Trying to fly without proper equipment may result in severe injure or possibly death. Warning: Failure to grasp the obvious may result in a smack upside the head.
It's time to interrupt the regular scheduled programs of everyone's mundane lives in order to bring forth a message vital to the survival of the human race. The issue brought before us today is the startling yet obvious observation that people complain too much. Complaining in society today has led to the failure to pursue life and happiness, because as society complains they are in essence never happy. Thus, when I hear people complain it only angers and irritates me. I'm a firm advocate of taking things as they come and living life however possible, since its futile to try to change what "just is."
Complaining is an issue almost everyone has to deal with on a daily basis. Some people pride themselves in the ability to give advice, while others are notorious because of their harsh criticism in response to complaints. Yet, although harsh, perhaps this criticism is the best advice a person can give to another. Some people, most people, need to stop complaining and get on with their lives. This observation is never more true than when applied to suburban yuppies and their children that make a nuclear reactor seem like low maintenance. It seems when these people complain, their voices all take on the same pitch. Its enough to drive anyone crazy. But, do any of these men, women, or premadonna teenagers have a right to complain? Have they really been denied anything more than a $40,000 car? Are they Republicans or do they just pretend that they are? Are my cries falling upon deaf ears?
Try working the customer service counter at a movie theater in an upper-middle class neighborhood. Doing this, I've heard more complaints than I can possibly handle. At least five times every weekend, hordes of women rush my post and let out a verbal assault on the poor quality of the bathroom facilities. "Absolutely disgusting!", "Get someone to clean that bathroom now, because that's just not acceptable." Of course, when the bathrooms are gone over by the theater staff, they're not nearly as bad as these women make it out. While its my job to cater to these complaints and track down people to fix the problems, my agitation is quite evident. In a discussion with a co-worker, the realization that there has never been a complaint about a man's bathroom makes us laugh. Nor would this common complaint be issued in a place closer to the city. Its stunning to realize that so many people have become so accustomed to the good life that anything less than perfect will make them go off their rocker. Whether the discrepancy be dirty bathrooms, long lines (another common complaint, since people have become accustomed to such a fast paced life), a movie being too loud, or even the fact that they had made a mistake and want us to take the blame for it. It is the richer person's addiction to the "good life" that leads them down the horribly sickening road of complaining rather than living.
Yet, it is also foolish to only point the finger at one group of people. It is quite obvious that the whole wide world is guilty of complaining. Even the tired, the poor, the yearning masses begging to be free have committed this crime that seems to be so prevalent within society. Sure, the rich people that get what they want complain a lot...but so do the less privileged ones that mark the cities of the world. Men and women dressed in little more than rags beg those that pass by them for money. They need to survive. Their lives have been so horrible that they need to be pitied. This is perhaps some of the most manipulative of all complaints. Any kind an passionate person, including myself and anyone reading this, is sure to give to charity. There is hardly a time when my money won't go into the coffee can thrust upon me by some less fortunate. Once, when approached by a man on the street, I was given an incredibly long story. The man had lost his job when his company went bankrupt. The man had lost a leg due to "a degenerative disease". All in all, I gave him some money. But that's no excuse. Nobody should make that their life. That would be pointless. Complaining instead of doing is truly the downfall of our world, and that man on street made it all that much more clear to me.
Looking at the world, it becomes apparent that the world is made up of men and women with nothing better to do than to moan and fret about their nuances and petty grievances. Groups of people huddle together and "converse" about who did what, when, and to whom. It becomes a thing of social "politics" that is inescapable by the participants. Instead of discussing about meaningful philosophies, politics, lifestyles, arts, choices, or even religion, people would rather complain about the extent that their life has gone so incredibly horrible. Whining about the things that happened to them. Pouting about who hurt them. Crying about the miserable things they've gone through or are going through. Even some of my friends are guilty, and yes...even I have been guilty earlier in my life. I used to complain about the bad days I've had. I used to let every little thing get to me. However, I've learned and don't walk that path any longer. Today, when one of my friends blames their problems on their stuck up mother that mentally abused them all their life I'm the one to remind them that whatever their mother did has absolutely no bearing on the life ahead of them. That is something everyone needs to remember. We all have a life ahead of us (even if we don't know for how long), and we must make the best of it.
Of course, it is needless to say that its truly horrible that bad incidents do happen, but the fact of the matter is that they still do. There's no escaping it. Bad things happen to everyone. So why complain? Its just another situation to deal with. Live life, move on. Adopt the Stoic belief that we can only control ourselves and our own actions and reactions, and we can't control the world around us. This makes it utterly pointless to become irate or depressed over life, since no one can control it. People must learn to take the cards dealt to them and see what happens. There is no reason to be scared of death, just as there is no reason to be scared of life. Live with that in mind, and stop complaining.
It's most likely that the public will never catch on. This announcement could be broadcast twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and the public would remain in a blissful state of ignorance for the rest of time. That's no matter, however. All that's needed in for one person to hear the words of wisdom, to allow change to occur within oneself. As soon as that happens then change might start to occur within society. Word of mouth is a powerful tool if used correctly. Its time to start to spread the word. Its time to make a stand. The next time someone complains about something that's utterly meaningless stop and pass on this public service announcement. It's the least that could be done for this world, but its a start.
It would be fun to get a chance to be the speaker in one huge public service announcement addressed to the whole wide world. Warning: Living may cause serious health problems when mixed with massive amounts of heroin. Warning: Trying to fly without proper equipment may result in severe injure or possibly death. Warning: Failure to grasp the obvious may result in a smack upside the head.
It's time to interrupt the regular scheduled programs of everyone's mundane lives in order to bring forth a message vital to the survival of the human race. The issue brought before us today is the startling yet obvious observation that people complain too much. Complaining in society today has led to the failure to pursue life and happiness, because as society complains they are in essence never happy. Thus, when I hear people complain it only angers and irritates me. I'm a firm advocate of taking things as they come and living life however possible, since its futile to try to change what "just is."
Complaining is an issue almost everyone has to deal with on a daily basis. Some people pride themselves in the ability to give advice, while others are notorious because of their harsh criticism in response to complaints. Yet, although harsh, perhaps this criticism is the best advice a person can give to another. Some people, most people, need to stop complaining and get on with their lives. This observation is never more true than when applied to suburban yuppies and their children that make a nuclear reactor seem like low maintenance. It seems when these people complain, their voices all take on the same pitch. Its enough to drive anyone crazy. But, do any of these men, women, or premadonna teenagers have a right to complain? Have they really been denied anything more than a $40,000 car? Are they Republicans or do they just pretend that they are? Are my cries falling upon deaf ears?
Try working the customer service counter at a movie theater in an upper-middle class neighborhood. Doing this, I've heard more complaints than I can possibly handle. At least five times every weekend, hordes of women rush my post and let out a verbal assault on the poor quality of the bathroom facilities. "Absolutely disgusting!", "Get someone to clean that bathroom now, because that's just not acceptable." Of course, when the bathrooms are gone over by the theater staff, they're not nearly as bad as these women make it out. While its my job to cater to these complaints and track down people to fix the problems, my agitation is quite evident. In a discussion with a co-worker, the realization that there has never been a complaint about a man's bathroom makes us laugh. Nor would this common complaint be issued in a place closer to the city. Its stunning to realize that so many people have become so accustomed to the good life that anything less than perfect will make them go off their rocker. Whether the discrepancy be dirty bathrooms, long lines (another common complaint, since people have become accustomed to such a fast paced life), a movie being too loud, or even the fact that they had made a mistake and want us to take the blame for it. It is the richer person's addiction to the "good life" that leads them down the horribly sickening road of complaining rather than living.
Yet, it is also foolish to only point the finger at one group of people. It is quite obvious that the whole wide world is guilty of complaining. Even the tired, the poor, the yearning masses begging to be free have committed this crime that seems to be so prevalent within society. Sure, the rich people that get what they want complain a lot...but so do the less privileged ones that mark the cities of the world. Men and women dressed in little more than rags beg those that pass by them for money. They need to survive. Their lives have been so horrible that they need to be pitied. This is perhaps some of the most manipulative of all complaints. Any kind an passionate person, including myself and anyone reading this, is sure to give to charity. There is hardly a time when my money won't go into the coffee can thrust upon me by some less fortunate. Once, when approached by a man on the street, I was given an incredibly long story. The man had lost his job when his company went bankrupt. The man had lost a leg due to "a degenerative disease". All in all, I gave him some money. But that's no excuse. Nobody should make that their life. That would be pointless. Complaining instead of doing is truly the downfall of our world, and that man on street made it all that much more clear to me.
Looking at the world, it becomes apparent that the world is made up of men and women with nothing better to do than to moan and fret about their nuances and petty grievances. Groups of people huddle together and "converse" about who did what, when, and to whom. It becomes a thing of social "politics" that is inescapable by the participants. Instead of discussing about meaningful philosophies, politics, lifestyles, arts, choices, or even religion, people would rather complain about the extent that their life has gone so incredibly horrible. Whining about the things that happened to them. Pouting about who hurt them. Crying about the miserable things they've gone through or are going through. Even some of my friends are guilty, and yes...even I have been guilty earlier in my life. I used to complain about the bad days I've had. I used to let every little thing get to me. However, I've learned and don't walk that path any longer. Today, when one of my friends blames their problems on their stuck up mother that mentally abused them all their life I'm the one to remind them that whatever their mother did has absolutely no bearing on the life ahead of them. That is something everyone needs to remember. We all have a life ahead of us (even if we don't know for how long), and we must make the best of it.
Of course, it is needless to say that its truly horrible that bad incidents do happen, but the fact of the matter is that they still do. There's no escaping it. Bad things happen to everyone. So why complain? Its just another situation to deal with. Live life, move on. Adopt the Stoic belief that we can only control ourselves and our own actions and reactions, and we can't control the world around us. This makes it utterly pointless to become irate or depressed over life, since no one can control it. People must learn to take the cards dealt to them and see what happens. There is no reason to be scared of death, just as there is no reason to be scared of life. Live with that in mind, and stop complaining.
It's most likely that the public will never catch on. This announcement could be broadcast twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and the public would remain in a blissful state of ignorance for the rest of time. That's no matter, however. All that's needed in for one person to hear the words of wisdom, to allow change to occur within oneself. As soon as that happens then change might start to occur within society. Word of mouth is a powerful tool if used correctly. Its time to start to spread the word. Its time to make a stand. The next time someone complains about something that's utterly meaningless stop and pass on this public service announcement. It's the least that could be done for this world, but its a start.
wow....just wow....that is brilliant, i'm going to have to copy and paste it, then print it out and put it on my fridge, and make flyers and email everyone.
Very true, well written and I took notice, I read, I listened.
We just need a few more people to do the same....