Recently I have noticed a new hobby sweeping the nation, and it is especially popular with young people. In fact, it has become one of my personal favorite activities because it costs nothing and is easy to do. I know what you’re thinking: No, it’s not longboarding. It’s called complaining. That’s right, those opening sentences were facetious.
All joking aside, complaining is easily one of the top five favorite pastimes of America’s youth these days. Of course, very few boast about their interest in complaining, as it is generally looked down upon by society. However, even though complaining is rarely listed as a favorite hobby on our Facebook profile, several minutes of interaction will reveal our true colors.
It doesn’t take much to get an avid complainer going. A line of people that’s too long, a homework assignment that’s due too soon, or a roommate who can’t seem to keep his or her music at a tolerable volume are all fantastic platforms for quality complaining material.
After a while, you can begin to tell the seasoned complainer from an amateur. The veteran does not simply bring the average complaint to the table when faced with complaint-worthy problems; he or she finds new and exciting ways to make the situation seem as terrible as possible. For example, instead of simply complaining about gas prices, the ultimate complainer points out how increasing gas prices are a sign of America’s impending demise.
The modern-day complainer has even successfully expanded his complaints to the world via the Internet. Comment sections, product reviews and social media all hold some of the greatest complaints known to mankind.
Oddly enough, complaints often bring people together. It’s difficult to explain, but I cannot tell you how many conversations I’ve sparked with strangers that involved nothing but complaints. You have probably had a similar encounter.
Picture this: You’re standing in a line at the grocery store that is moving painstakingly slow. Next, the person beside you lets out a sigh, moan or other noise indicating dissatisfaction with the progress of the line. You return this noise with a look indicating equal dissatisfaction. Next thing you know, you and a total stranger are chatting it up like you’re long-lost cousins.
While these encounters are often humorous, it seems that for the most part complaining is not a particularly great way to form relationships. If you complain too much with a particular person, the depth of your conversation will inevitably be limited to your latest complaint. This often leads to shallow, meaningless friendships.
Sometimes it is funny to reflect on the triviality of some of our complaints, but at the end of the day complaining is a far too common occurrence in many of our lives to be laughed at. The number of blessings I have far outweigh my reasons to complain, and often I forget that.
Some days, I look back and realize I have complained about too much and been positive about too little. If complaining has become a favorite activity in your life as it often has in mine, maybe a re-evaluation of priorities is in order. Who knows? Maybe when you run out of things to complain about, you can pick up a yo-yo or a banjo and begin a new hobby.
