The same or similar observation from different sources often hit me at the same time. My first thought is about how it applies to other people. There is a momentary feeling of superiority if it is one of those moments of self-awareness. Followed, of course, by the convicting thoughts–what does it say about me?
Author/philosopher Mark Manson was on the Guy Kawasaki podcast. This podcast is released on Wednesday mornings. My ritual is to listen to this podcast while I’m cleaning floors. Makes the time go.
Manson said, “We have become a nation of babies.If we don’t get our way, we go on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram and complain.”
Later in the day, I’m reading in Greg McKeown’s latest book, Effortless. His first book, Essentialism (which I highly recommend) sold more than a million. McKeown (pronounced mc-kune) wrote, “We live in a complaint culture that gets high on expressing outrage, especially on social media, which seems like an endless stream of grumbling and whining about what is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.”
He is the second writer I’ve run across recently who talked about trying to change his own habit of complaining by adding a habit of saying something of gratitude to counteract the complaint. And was shocked at the realization of how much they complained seeing that they both thought of themselves as positive and upbeat people.
I’ll pause while you and I ponder on how much complaining we actually do.
Back to Manson. Kawasaki followed up on the comment about how we seem to be complaining babies by asking about how to become an adult.
“You become an adult when you give a shit about something beyond yourself,” Manson replied. (You have to realize he wrote a book where the title drops the “f-bomb”.)
I think he’s on the track with Jesus and John and Paul and the gang who talked about becoming spiritually mature when you love (action verb) one another.
I guess it’s past time for all of us to grow up.
Faith Venture 
April 30, 2021 at 4:49 am |
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