History tells us of one of the Caesars who
prepared a great feast to which many were invited. At the appointed time, a
great storm threatened and no one arrived. In anger with the “storm god,”
Caesar had his soldiers shoot arrows into the sky for revenge. The shower of
arrows fell back to earth to inflict injuries and shoot many people to death.
-
A.H. Stainback
I don’t know why
but I can’t stand a complainer. I just don’t get it why some people can still
manage to rant endlessly without thinking of ways to solve their problems. I’m
not saying that I’ve never uttered any word of complaint against anything or
anyone, but some people just can’t get enough of it, to the point that their
negativity eats their whole being, making them stressed about their current
situation.
I believe that if
you have time to whine, then, you also have the time to do something about the
things you’re complaining about. Many Filipinos never ran out of things to
complain. Others blame the government because of their situation in life, while
others throw chunks of negative comments about the status of our economy. We
keep on ranting yet we don’t do anything about it. We complain about the trash,
yet we do not clean our own or, at least, encourage others to clean theirs.
Many people complain about our corrupt government, yet we elect the same
politicians over and over. Some complain that our roads are dilapidated, yet
they do not pay the right taxes.
Now, let us not
think of general examples. Let us examine ourselves first, as students inside
AUF.
I’ve heard
complaints from my fellow students so many times. Some about the facilities,
while others about the quality of education the university claims to have. The
problem in these situations is some students choose to voice out their concerns
inside the four corners of the classroom. They don’t consider the fact that the
sentiments they have will not be acted upon unless these will be heard by the
administration. Tendency is the problem is left unresolved and the complainers
end up living their lives with the things they don’t like.
Nobody could
exempt himself from experiencing stressors in his daily life. Complaining is
something that is a bit difficult to eradicate among people because they
consider this as their way of alleviating hard feelings. However, we should
have realized that ranting only does little, and it doesn’t solve anything.
In the case of
our country, what the Filipino people need to do is to stop diverting the blame
to others. Accept the reality that there is an existing problem. Assume the
responsibility and start thinking of concrete solutions and not incessant
rants.
Meanwhile, if
you are a complainer, make sure that through your venting, you come up with a
solution. Address the problem to those who are concerned. Don’t be afraid to
speak up especially if it concerns your welfare as a student or as a citizen of
this country. Who knows? This could be the only way the government or the
administration will pick up the hint and start acting.
We cannot change
the situation through non-stop whining, but we can change our perspective
towards the problem. Our complaints are like so many arrows shot into the sky—they
will return someday, bringing harm to you and to other people as well.
* My article
published in the Opinion Page of our university paper, The Pioneer, in its August – September 2011 Broadsheet issue.
