I'm not much of a complainer, at least for the most part I'm not. My body tho is not as spry as it once was, which does tend to piss me off a great deal. In the morning I often have to take one stair at a time, which very much bothers me. I could go on and on, but what is the point? I am the only one experiencing this old body of mine. Complaining really does not solve the issue, so I keep my mouth shut except for on the rare occasion when I loudly and obnoxiously shout out, "My bones!"

I refuse to be in the category of older people who endlessly complain about their ailments. I understand the need to vent, but the listener isn't in my body; it is only I here. People can only be expected to empathize so much before they will rightfully begin rolling their eyes outside of my viewpoint. No sir. 

Now, there are injustices in the world that I am passionate about, and I tend to voice my opinions on those injustices a great deal. However, I do not do so as often on social media. The message becomes lost because people are expecting those posts from me, and become annoyed. They view my outrage as virtue signalling, and I understand their point to a certain degree, only because they might not know my true intentions. Additionally, I am not always up for the debates that often arise from these kinds of posts. I understand the importance of having these difficult discussions, but I do become ever so upset at having to defend an issue as fundamental as basic human rights. 

Let's just say I have to be in the right state of mind before posting about an issue that shouldn't be controversial but, for some goddamn reason, it is. Additionally, I don't like being disappointed in people showing a side of themselves I'd never seen before. It seems like my debating days have lost some steam in recent years. I was ever so angry and ready for a fight, often spending hours every day passionately typing on my keyboard. I was who the intolerant bigots like to label as a keyboard warrior. I wish I still had the drive I had to debate as often as I once did. 

See, there are issues worth complaining about (talking, debating, discussing), and there are other issues, like my goddamn bones, that are kind of pointless to bring up and will bring no actual solution to the issue. Additionally, I find it abhorrent to complain about such trivial things as having to wait too long in a lineup, for instance. There are real goddamn problems in the world, yet people have violent feuds with their neighbours about parking or a few inches between their property lines. Although, ashamedly, I do find it enjoyable to watch these interactions on YouTube. Human behavior is ever so interesting, is it not?

I am glad that with the invention of smartphones, people's shitty and often disgusting behaviour is now being showcased. I am not against cancel culture. If you are going to say racist or bigoted crap to people, you deserve to be cancelled. The fact that people argue against this, makes me question their morality. Cancel the shit out of the bigots, they deserve it!

I guess I do sometimes complain about trivial things such as traits that annoy me about people and society. It is all just human behavior tho, is it not? The traits we find annoying in each other are just us being fallible human beings. We are sculpted and formed to be the exact people that we are. It really can't be helped. Even the very worst of us can't help but be the garbage human beings they are. Yes, I am a determinist. That should be quite obvious by this point.

Understanding this about humans allows me to practice patience with the people I encounter in my life, who present themselves in off-putting ways. But let's be honest: I have designed my life to have limited interaction with the outside world. Who knows how many altercations I would find myself involved in if I were to venture more into society. 

To complain, or to not complain? Therein lies the question, and my answer to this goddamn prompt. Ask yourself if this is really an argument worth having before you start running your mouth. Is this an issue that belongs to anyone else but me? That is another question worth considering before endlessly burdening others with your ailments. Some individuals seem to have a driving need to complain about virtually everything, even the most trivial of issues. Who wants to be around people like that? And yet, there is often a hidden goodness inside the complaining population. That must not be forgotten when we are dealing with difficult people.

For example, I had a boss who would sit the entire day at the staff table overseeing our work. I was a waitress back then, btw. Her favorite thing to do was gossip and complain about community members. Additionally, she would become morally outraged if someone came in to use the bathroom and did not buy anything. Even though the gas station had bathrooms, customers would probably rather not use them so they came to the restaurant. She would drone on and on about the morality of the younger generation. Once she lectured us about the fact that young women nowadays just lazily lay in bed after sex rather than douching with vinegar and water. According to her, this would protect us from all the unplanned pregnancies and single motherhood that were plaguing society, lol!

However, this is also a person who offered me great compassion when a coworker and friend died in a tragic car accident. She took my hand in hers and silently held it. I knew she was also hurting because no matter how much she was on our cases, she really did care very deeply for us girls. A few years later, after I'd moved away and gotten married, my best friend and another of our coworkers also died, also tragically, and this was it for our boss. Upon being told the news she suffered a fatal heart attack. 

I always knew our boss was not merely a bitter old hag, like the way she presented herself. In quiet moments she would show me her humanity and her goodness. This normally happened at the end of the day when I was trying to complete my side work. She needed to talk, and did she ever talk. This is where she showed me her true essence. There wasn't any complaining during these times, just her sharing memories of better times. This experience taught me to understand that people, for the most part, are neither good nor bad. Some of us have more or less goodness or badness, and we often morally judge people based on those amounts. 

I am not referring to the non-humans walking among us. The evil 1% and the psychopaths are not human beings, make no mistake. But that is not a discussion that warrants delving into at this point in time. 

I'll end this piece of meandering writing by reminding myself, and maybe others, that even people who avidly and enthusiastically complain as if it were an Olympic sport, might not be who they are showing themselves as, so try not to be so quick to judge them. That is the surface dust they have floating around them, but it is not them. 

Take heart and seek for the light in those who have it buried under their toxic beliefs. If you can reach that place, it is possible to have a positive impact on their lives and maybe even offer them a perspective they were previously unable to hear. Of course, I am speaking from a place of privilege. For example, for me as a woman, it is quite challenging to be faced with someone spouting misogynistic or sexist views. People spouting off abhorrent viewpoints are not entitled to our patience. Tho, I have seen in my own reactions to people like that, that patience and diplomacy can really work. Ugh. I must stop. 

Thank you very much for reading my stuff. It means a lot to me.