Complain Last

Complain Last

I notice a disturbing pattern in society today: people seem to complain more and more about everything. This is readily apparent in social media, but I also notice it in real-life interactions as well. Instead of complaining immediately after a perceived slight (complaining first), is it possible for us to complain last?

Being a victim is easy. And us humans love easy things. It is easy to blame other people, to blame our environment and our past. It doesn’t seem to be natural for us to take ownership of what is happening with our lives. Continue Reading

Grit is bad?

Grit is bad?

This is in response to an article from Aeon titled “Teaching ‘grit’ is bad for children, and bad for democracy“. After reading it, I asked myself, “Is grit really bad?”.

The article discussed the ideas behind the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. Citing several examples in the book, it discussed the darker side of grit. It says that grit results to people doing mean, stupid things or doing things that they should not have done. One particular example is from a football team’s chant: Continue Reading

Smelting Yourself

Smelting Yourself

While driving towards home with my family, my younger sister asked me (to make sure I don’t fall asleep), “What is your New Year’s Resolution?“. I paused to think, then replied “I don’t have one and don’t believe in it“.

Explaining further, I told her that changing ourselves should not be tied to a specific date or time. We can start changing ourselves the moment we determine that it is the best course of action. Continue Reading