If my dear readers happen to live in the northeastern United States, I am sure you have noticed the unseasonably warm weather we have had this week. It is this weather which has given me impetus to write today. I bike to work every day, and in the winter I tend to encounter wet cold rides. Well come this week it had been beautiful, I have even been cycling in shorts. But Tuesday night, after a beautiful day, it rained, and as I was riding home it was raining, and I was getting wet, and I started to grumble to myself, complaining about the wet, and the cold, asking why it could not have remained the way it was earlier that day. And then I realized, earlier that day it had been beautiful, hat was I doing complaining? I should rather be thankful for the span of nice weather we had had. Moreover, if it were normal February weather, not only would I be getting wet from snow, but I would also be cold. It is only because I experienced the nice weather, that I had any reference to even think there as anything to complain about.

And this sparked a deeper question, why do we complain? It does not serve any purpose does it? Author Will Bowen explains five reasons why we complain in his book A Complaint Free World. The first reason is as a conversation starter; what better way to start a conversation with a stranger then to complain about the weather? The second reason is to avoid taking personal action; it is much easier to complain about a bad situation then to do anything to remedy it. Third is to show our own superiority; how better to show our own prowess then to complain about the short comings of others? Next is to influence others; how many of us have never complained about the opposing side to garner support for our own? And the fifth reason Bowen gives as to why we complain is to pre-excuse our poor performance; we have all been there, we did not do as well on a test or in a class as we should have so we try to excuse our bad grade by complaining about the unfairness of the test or the incompetence of the teacher. So there are definite societal reasons for complaining, it does things for us.

But perhaps the better question then why do we complain is should we? Are there not other, better ways to achieve all of the aforementioned outcomes? How sad is it that we must focus on the negative to start a conversation? Because that is what complaining is at its heart, focusing on the negative things in life. How healthy is that? Not very. Moreover, we all know that person who can only see the bad things in every situation; no body wants to be that person. So I challenge you, both for your mental and social health, to try to decrease your complaining this month. I believe you will see a change for the better. A brighter out look on life, and perhaps new friends.