The Life We Choose
This is going to sound horribly arrogant, conceited, or selfish but I'm not sure what to think anymore when people complain to me about everyday life. Bills, colds, annoying relatives, yes, they are all painful to some degree or another. And I sympathize with those who've had badness forced upon them - who didn't make a decision in their life that forced bad kharma upon them.
Where I get a little aggravated is when people complain of things they could have prevented in the first place. Or things that result from their innate personality - for example laziness or rudeness. Complaining about your lot in life when that lot was determined by your prior mistakes deserves a confessional, not a sympathetic ear. I have no sympathy for that.
Why don't I? I tell 29 year olds they have cancer and they have 3 months to live - they've done nothing wrong - don't smoke, don't drink, don't use drugs, runs marathons, etc. I see 2 of 3 brothers survive a rollover accident at highway speeds without a scratch, while their third brother dies while I try to revive him. I see a wife married to her husband for 55 years say goodbye for the last time, and I can't help but cry with her.
So no, I don't have much sympathy to spread around anymore. Its horrible. But there are so many people who have done nothing wrong in their life to deserve hardship and sorrow - for them, I open my heart to their plight. For all others, I offer suggestions for betterment, without a teaspoon of sympathy.
Where I get a little aggravated is when people complain of things they could have prevented in the first place. Or things that result from their innate personality - for example laziness or rudeness. Complaining about your lot in life when that lot was determined by your prior mistakes deserves a confessional, not a sympathetic ear. I have no sympathy for that.
Why don't I? I tell 29 year olds they have cancer and they have 3 months to live - they've done nothing wrong - don't smoke, don't drink, don't use drugs, runs marathons, etc. I see 2 of 3 brothers survive a rollover accident at highway speeds without a scratch, while their third brother dies while I try to revive him. I see a wife married to her husband for 55 years say goodbye for the last time, and I can't help but cry with her.
So no, I don't have much sympathy to spread around anymore. Its horrible. But there are so many people who have done nothing wrong in their life to deserve hardship and sorrow - for them, I open my heart to their plight. For all others, I offer suggestions for betterment, without a teaspoon of sympathy.
posted by Richard at 10:16 AM
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