Warning – the following column is a rant, about people who rant.
I would like to talk about a certain group of people – I may even call them a “type of people” – people who think the world revolves around them, or stops for them; that if their troubles are gone – then everyone else’s troubles must be gone, too.
I would like to talk about the group of people who, in the literal sense, engage in “who’s the most miserable of them all?” competitions; those who try to top each other with their troubles. We all know them, we’re probably sitting next to one of them – or maybe this just sounds too familiar. Don’t worry – there’s still time.
I am not saying the following because I have a specific person in mind; I know lots of people who do that, and I even do it at times, too. No one really intends to do it – or maybe they do. I am writing this because I think it’s never too late to correct a wrong – in this case a negative attribute, such as the one in question.
Walking around campus, I run into a lot of people who fit that description. You can set them apart, those who constantly – and I do mean every time – respond to a simple courteous question like, “how are you?” with one single, dreaded word – “tired.”
At times I wonder if they know any other adjective to describe their state of being.
I am not asking people not to express their feelings, or whine if they feel the need to do it – because that is exactly what I am doing right now – but I am asking them to know when and how often to do so.
You know you have a problem when the only topic of conversation you can think of is how awful your day or life is.
Don’t let this fool you, though. Those who do not feel the need to whine 24/7 have problems, too – they just learned how to conquer them.
Common misfortunes are usually the most natural topics of conversation between two strangers – and they often form the basis of a relationship.
However, the duration of that relationship is severely compromised when all that goes into it is negativity and pure unhappiness.
I probably sound harsh. But I honestly think we need to examine our characters and the way we behave if we expect people to bear with us and carry us.
Life doesn’t run on only receiving, the other part of the equation is giving. And I always tell people – you get what you give.
This is the last week of the semester, and finals week is just around the corner – everyone will feel tired – if they don’t already – and everyone has the right to say it.
But those who manage to reply with “not too bad,” or the surprising “I’m fine, thank you. How are you?” are those who acknowledge the problems others have as well – and those are the people whom I think really deserve the support they need.
There is nothing easier in life than thinking about all the things that we think we deserve, yet don’t have. Let’s try to challenge ourselves by thinking of what we have, yet don’t deserve for a change. Maybe then, we will appreciate our lives just a bit more.
