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The joys of complaining

May 19th, 2008 · 3 Comments

Ok, big epiphany today.

I was complaining. Then I noticed that somethings, I complain about. Others, I don’t. What’s the difference?

For me, complaints seem to be statements of where in my life doesn’t seem under my control. Even when complaining about myself (”Darn these love handles”), I only complain about the things I have trouble with and perceive as being something I can’t change.

Is this universal? Are your complaints expressions of control frustration?

What are your favorite complaints? Is there any pattern about what we all consider under/not under our control?

Tags: Concepts

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 nichelle // May 19, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    I complain about not having enough money. Now I have an epiphany! I have retrain my brain so that it knows that how much money I have is something I can control.

  • 2 jenn // May 19, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    I complain when there is an obviously better way to accomplish a task and I don’t have the power to change it!
    My favorite complaints are websites that are difficult to navigate or poor communication in forms.

  • 3 Jim Sewell // May 19, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    I tend to complain about what I see as injustice. I heard a Christian parenting course once where the speaker said that getting upset when someone cuts in front of us in line, for example, is just an extension of our sense of dominion - “God gave me that and I’m keeping it.”

    An example, global warming - I feel that some environmental extremists that prefer nature to people are trying to take away my right to drive my SUV based on poor logic. (please no flames, it’s just my view.) You can see that it’s based on someone taking away something that’s mine.

    Another example, raiding the campus in Texas of the FLDS gang and taking their kids. Granted, in my opinion they are wackos and polygamy is never healthy, the authorities arbitrarily decided to go in without proper probable cause (an unsubstantiated anonymous tip from Colorado? Give me a break) and take these children from their parents. By extension, they could come get my kid next and that gets me going.

    Hope it helps! :)

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