Quote:
Originally Posted by traveller
As usual Warren, your comments are given a wide berth.  
Now that everyone had a good whinge  let's get back to my original question WHY do SOME people whinge SO much?
I whinge as much as the average bloke, but some people seem to relish in it. Don't get me wrong, whinging is good. It brings people together through shared experience and sometimes it's good just have a good whinge.
But there is a fine line, a self fulfilling prophecy if you will, when one whinges because there doesn't seem to be any rational explanation and worse still, the negativity is contagious. Before you know it, mass hysteria takes over and we are all doom and gloom, but for what reason?
I agree with what Trevor said earlier about something's beyond ones control, but its the disproportionate or unrational response and their frequency thats unexplained and it seems to be getting worse.
My $0.02
Bo |
Hi Bo,
It is an interesting topic whinging. Perhaps that is because good news is simply boring. After all, what can you say to good news, great, well done, that's fantastic...... which are well and good but simply lack traction for a discussion of ideas and opinions. Whinging gives more traction, as we have seen on IIS, and I make no claim to be innocent in this regard either. Even when something positive happens, there are always those that will have differing opinions.
Although I am no philosopher, giving this some thought I feel that we are taught, indirectly, to whinge rather than have a positive and rational exchange of ideas. We only have to look at the way our, so called, leaders in our community behave, who are absolutely negative about everything other than themselves, due to their hidden, and not so hidden, agendas. Also, we are often punished for doing wrong, but are never rewarded for doing right, thus reinforcing a negative attitude. Furthermore, look at the balance in the media between good news and bad, the latter being way ahead. Good news just doesn't sell papers, once again reinforcing the negative.
Alternatively, perhaps we are just hard-wired to be negative, after all, if we were completely happy and contented, would we have progressed? Would we ever have had reason to strive to be better? Just look at the wars this world has faced and the technological advances we have made directly because of them, after all military development has made many positive contributions. Sure, they have brought death and destruction, but look at the societies that developed after them, let alone mention all the wonderful technology we now take for granted. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is debatable and isn't the point I am making anyway.
So, are we hard wired to be negative? I think we are, otherwise we wouldn't need psychologists, medical and drugs (legal or illicit) to make us feel better. I know, as I have had to battle depression in the past decade, with a recent decline, and all I strive for is to be positive and happy. And, the one thing I really hate is people telling me that it could be worse, thus reinforcing the negative. Yes, it could be worse, as I am grateful for still being here, but it could also be a lot better.
But then, a philosopher once said, "As great as your sadness, so shall your happiness be. For without one, there is no measure of the other."