When does a negative observation become whining? When does leaning on our brethren for comfort become burdening them with our problems? Is “venting” every once in a while an appropriate response to stress? I have no easy answers for such questions. If you do, please share. Perhaps asking yourself questions such as the following can…
The problem with our society today is not that we have adults who act like children. The problem is, we have adults who aspire to act like children. It is their goal in life. They hate the idea of acting like adults (although they absolutely insist upon being treated as adults). They do not just…
If you are driven to distraction by the noise people make when they are eating, chewing gum, or just plain breathing, you may have misophonia — which is an actual mental condition, according to the ever-reliable internet.
You also may be a human being.
The distinction between the two seems to be a capacity for toleration.
If people can’t control their own emotions, then they have to start trying to control other people’s behavior. That is a very profound truth (unfortunately, not original to me) regarding political correctness in particular and whining in general. We convince ourselves that the problem is “out there” and therefore someone else’s fault, someone else’s responsibility. In truth, though, the problem — at least, the one relevant to the current circumstance — is “in here.” Our own personal weaknesses, our own personal insecurities, our own personal failures.
