Sunday, April 6, 2014

Any Day Now

I have a recurring behavior in my life. For many years now I have developed a real disdain for people who complain about everything. If they work for or under someone else they complain about the way things get done, or not, and often say "If I owned this company...", or " If I was in charge". If the weather is warm and sunny they complain that they can't sleep at night because it's too warm, or there are too many mosquitos... certainly more than any time they can remember. Hunters complain because are too many "other" hunters and not enough game. The "outdoor folks" complain because there is not sufficient snowfall to ski on and to fill resevoirs, then complain because the winter "just won't let go", and Spring is too late in coming. When the early summer is dry and wildfires abound in May and June, they complain when the rains come in July and August and flood the areas that were on fire the month before.


 Everybody complains about traffic, even in a town with six stoplights. Some will say that the town is dead and there's not enough business here to lure other merchants to open up, then they go out of town to buy things. "Things are too expensive here" they say. The thought of actually consuming less and buying local escapes them. I heard someone the other day pine "Is it too much to ask that we have at least one clear sunny day"...as if there was somewhere such a request could be directed to. God perhaps? Nature herself? I would bring up the government, about now, but I am above that. Besides there isn't enough space here to venture down that path.


I'm saddened when I hear the religious complain of those less fortunate and their "burden" on society.
I don't think I have to elaborate on this. I laugh when I read of the public outcry over waste in our landfills, then watch people buy plastic water bottles by the millions or virtually every food item known to exist... because of the convenience. We have to have strip malls (and larger) every few blocks so we don't have to drive across town for something. There needs to be a Starbucks or McDonalds, sometimes two or three in a square city block because... well, who knows why. Maybe its just to provide evidence that consumerism is alive and well. Either way, people will complain of congestion  and then concentrate their businesses to feed off of the same congestion.


Currently, I've read that people complain that professional sports have become too violent, the salaries too decadent, the athlete's behavior increasingly irresponsible. I guess that the fans are unaware that they provide the monies necessary to facilitate such behavior. The cheering during these sporting events is never louder than when one athlete applies a collision so violent that both will pay for it the rest of their lives. Our support makes it possible.  College athletes want to get paid now to play because, they say, life is too difficult trying to practice, play, and keep up with classwork. I think I'm on board with this if they did away with scholarships and have the athletes pay their own tuition. They've become too complacent about the value of education and don't deserve to have this important "blessing" given to them for free. It's wasted on them.Not to mention the tutoring they get because they're "too busy" to go to class.
  By now, I'm sure, you've discovered what my recurring behavior is... I complain about all the people who complain.  "My name is Mike and I'm a complainer". There I said it. I just want to go on record by saying that it would be a lot easier for me to control my condition if everybody else would acquire some common sense. Just saying...