Recently, I have realized that the first world society is a massive culture of complaints and pre-determined notions of entitlement. Honestly, have you ever gone through a whole entire day without hearing someone gripe? Better yet... have you ever lived a day without objection?
In all seriousness, I am sick and tired of complaining; both from myself and other people. We, meaning those that live in a first world country, are too quick to pick apart anything and everything that doesn't suit our expectations. I have noticed that I am surrounded by people that have nothing good to say most of the time, which is really unfortunate considering all of the things we are granted. For instance, I noticed this once when I was telling a friend how annoyed I was considering I had to wait in line at my favorite coffee shop rather than being able to order immediately. Upon hearing my brief complaint, my friend looked at me and said, "Wow, first world problems." Ever since this pivotal moment, I acknowledged the extent of my woes, meaning all my "problems" were and still are equivalent to nothing serious at all. In fact, most members of society are more than blessed and lucky to have the opportunities provided for them. Just take a step back for a few seconds and compare: A single mother in the states that works three jobs and owns a car and can pay rent for a decent apartment is far more fortunate than a suppressed woman in Iraq, who is unable to voice her opinion or get an education. In hindsight, yes, this single mother works extremely hard and has to take care of her children, but at least she is able to do so. There is a profound difference: hope. Furthermore, we live in a society where if things go wrong, we are granted a plethora of options and services that can lead us to the right direction. Sometimes our path takes a turn and it may leave us feeling lost, but the reality is that we can always bounce back.
To be honest, I think we have too much going on in our lives, which takes away from our happiness. We complain because we are given too many options so when we are not granted exactly what we want, it somehow hinders our mood. For those that have been to a foreign country, specifically in the Caribbean or anywhere in which people don't have the vast amount of opportunities as we do... take a moment and remember the locals and their overall demeanor. Most often, I have found that the people in these countries tend to be by far the most content people in comparison to those in the states. I believe their outlook differs from ours because they have less, or in other words, they don't have all the options as we do. So to some extent, their lives are, or at least seem, somewhat simpler.
Now I know that what I say is very general, for people all over the world have hardships and obstacles that need overcoming. However, the way in which people tackle these issues is truly key. It is important to take a step back and realize someone somewhere else has something going on that is one hundred times more detrimental than you. With that being said, society needs to learn how to cope with simple inconveniences because we sound arrogant when we gripe about how bad we have it. For the most part, it is okay to have a bad day and feel crappy about it. But when you start to complain, make sure what you say is valid.
Overall, first world countries truly have it easy, yet we seem to be the most negative people. With that being said, from now on, I promise to lessen my grievances and focus on appreciating what I have that others do not. And I suggest that others pick up on this too... who knows what we could get out of it!
