Complaints

Have you ever complained about life, or heard others complaining?

I guess complaint is really common in our lives — we tend to complain on things we don’t like. We push away things we don’t like. It’s natural.

But when you listen to others’ complaints constantly… what you feel? You start to complain about the complaints! Yeah…. inevitable, ya?

I listened to this talk by Ajahn Brahm, it is an eye-opener. Well, we are living in a conditioned environment, as the nature itself is conditioned. So yeah, so many conditions interplay in our lives, and sometimes most of them are beyond our control. Yet for example, when we don’t like the job we are doing as a clerk, for example, we think that I’d be happy if I change my job to become a retailer. Indeed you’ll get rid off your suffering as a clerk, but you would have another form of suffering, the suffering of a retailer.

Then if we think that way, regardless of what conditions and environment we are in, we would still have suffering, only in different forms.

So all in all, what really matters is our attitude. What should we do in that situation, are we being negative or positive about it? Some outward conditions (i.e., conditions surround you) are hard to change — in other words, it’s hard to change others and the world. But it is easier and doable to change yourself, the conditions within.

So next time, when you face difficulties in your life, instead of blaming and complaining others or your environment, pause for awhile, and look within. See what you can do about in that situation or conditions, and think what’s the best attitude within you that you can have. There is a wise saying “The world is seen through your own specs”. So when you put on positive specs, you would see life is more positive. And vice versa. So it’s your choice…. complaining or living along with it.