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Just complaining about the current situation will not change the future

Francisco Miraval

I recently attended a community meeting where I hear people complaining again and again about whatever is now happening in the world, from lack of face-to-face dialogue due to new technologies to the constant possibility of terrorist attacks, and from the poor quality of education to deplorable working conditions. Yet, nobody contributed potential solutions.

It was like hearing a person complaining about being overweight and doing nothing to lose weight. I wonder if people (wrongly) assume that complaining about a problem will be enough for the situation to change without any need to do anything else to change the situation.

For example, somebody complained about the increasing complexity of computers. It is true, of course, that new computers are more powerful than previous models. To solve the problem of ever more powerful computers we should simple ban all computers, this person said, so we can go back to a time where nobody used computers. There was no mention of attending classes or workshops to learn about computers.

Somebody else complained about low salaries. That’s a real issue affecting many people who are pay disproportionally less than others, thus being unable to live a minimally acceptable life regardless of how hard they work.

Somebody suggested to that person that to attend professional development classes to be better prepare for the challenging workforce. Or perhaps he should support one of the many campaigns to increase minimum wage and to improve work conditions. Once again, there was no indication that, after expressing the complaint, the person was willing to do anything to change his situation.

Perhaps because the focus of the meeting was intergenerational relations, there were several complaints about the “bad behavior” of “modern youth”. Among that unacceptable behavior people listed going to college instead of finding a job or getting married, and, even worst, going to college in another state and far away from the family.

Perhaps because they found a place to do it, others also added their own complaints, from the lack of immigration reform to the challenges to access quality health care, and from bank branches with no persons and only ATMs to teachers “forcing” young students to use laptops to complete their homework.

In all those conversations, there was no mention of any attempt of understanding what is happening, of challenging one’s prejudices and beliefs; of opening one’s mind to new alternatives and options; and, in a few words, to make a meaningful contribution to change ugly and even unacceptable circumstances. In all cases, people expected others (the government, teachers, employers) to change the situation.

As long as we keep complaining and complaining is the only thing we do, as long as we don’t assume our own responsibility to change what we want to be changed, then we will remain painfully trapped precisely inside the problem or situation we want to avoid and escape from, with little or no chance of being ever freed. Complaining will accomplish almost nothing unless it is not followed by transformative actions.

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