A major bug-bear of mine, is whining. Whining from well-seasoned whiners. Those infuriating people who spend the majority of their days waxing lyrical on how AWFUL everything and everyone is. Brutal.
I face these whiners every, single, day in life. At work, on the bus, at the bus stop, in queues (the aforementioned are both whiner HOTSPOTS). These people are everywhere; they may be complete strangers, colleagues, family, friends, maybe even YOU are one? Are you? YUK EWW YOU SMELL AND I DON’T LIKE YOU.
They burrow into your happiness until there is nothing left for you to do but nod away in agreement as they air their gripes, silently wanting to end your own life in increasingly elaborate ways. Or maybe that's just me. They seem to take a perverse pleasure in complaining about anything and everything, and generally these 'things' are the most utterly mundane issues imaginable.
Now, imagine if you will, one of these seasoned whiners becomes ill. They are actually diagnosed by a proper real-life doctor with degrees and a white coat and everything. (yes I know doctors don’t wear white coats anymore because they are too cool for school but just go with it). Imagine for a horrifying moment at what break-neck speed these individuals whining would reach the dizziest of heights never before experienced. A terrifying thought I'm sure you'd agree.
Well I hate to RUIN YOUR LIFE, but these people are real. They are walking amongst us. And much like the musical stylings of Mumford And Sons and zombies, they must be exterminated. Or at the very least their attitudes must be eliminated. For starters anyway. So how to do this? How to change the habits of a lifetime?
You don’t actually have to. Why should YOU be held accountable for their misery? You shouldn’t. You just have to make it clear that you, personally; wont tolerate it. If these particular whiners in your life are people for whom you actually care; then certain allowances can be made. For a period. If they are recently diagnosed with an illness for example, going through a traumatic break-up, grieving for someone or attending a Mumford and Sons gig.
However it’s important you don’t allow them to wallow in misery. Constant negativity serves only to bring yourself and everyone around you down. Its tiring to be forced to endure someone's complaining everyday. it's also incredibly selfish to inflict it on those around you. What makes you think your problems are more important than anyone else's? Perhaps the person you are badgering with your incessant whining is actually in immeasurable pain, having the worst time imaginable at home, or has Mumford and Sons stuck on a loop on their iPod (last two are interchangeable there).
All I suggest, as someone who has been both the whiner and the whine-e , is to take stock of your daily conversations. Did you find yourself angry and frustrated at the end of the day? Do you feel you aren't being listened to as intently as you'd like? Maybe that’s because what you are talking about is continuously YOU. Think about how much you learnt about your friends, partner and colleagues in the past 24hrs. If your findings are minimal that’s probably because you were hogging the converstaion with your whining AGAIN. Then, slowly but surely CUT IT OUT.
BTW just a side note, but can you actually believe the number 27 was late again?! 20 minutes this time! 20 MINUTES! I could have been writing a blog post about whining in that time, or listening to Mumford and Sons entire back catalouge, or staving in the heads of unruly zombies or burning my haters online, or..
