Life is Good

So it's that time of year...the time of year where Emily comes out with her annual rant about complaining. Seriously. If you don't believe me look on my notes on facebook. I literally have a note complaining about other people complaining. Yes, a bit hypocritical I know. Regardless it is a subject I like to address especially as people near finals week, and get continually more down in the dumps to a point of being positively dreadful to live with.

This blog post is not aimed at anyone in particular, but it merely a general commentary on the behavior of college students (and high school ones as well unless something has changed) in times of stress.

It's easy to look at our current situation in a very negative light. In a middle class American culture people are blessed with a life that is easy and filled with all that is needed in life and more. They not only have the simple things needed for survival, but cars, televisions, and vacations to boot! So in this privileged class the problems that are considered major are hardly the horrid desperation of the impoverished in starving nations.

The people I see around me are well fed, and have clean water to drink. The people around me attend schools, and in my case a private Christian college full of amazing faculty and classes. They have the right to say what they want, and the freedom to exercise whatever religion they choose. There are three meals a day plus a little extra money for ice cream or snacks or something fun. They go to movies, enjoy vacations and drive around in nice cars.

To a person in desperate poverty it must appear like the people in such situations have it all. No scrambling for simple scraps to feed the family. No risk of being sold into servitude, or forced into dreadful working conditions. No. None of those things apply to the people I see around me. So why is it that these people (and myself included) complain?

But complain they do. I have so much homework. I am so sick of this disgusting food. I am so stressed out. I wasted five hours on facebook and got nothing done, what will I do! There is nothing good to eat! I have nothing to do, I'm so bored. I hate my professor, he's so dumb! Could this class be more pointless?

Those comments and so many more fill my ears and slip from my mouth. And yet these silly things that are said are hardly worth the emotion and time we put into them. Are the people who drive fancy cars and have free public education (or even better private) really so oppressed as to need to complain?

So enough ranting about complaining. I want to get a small point across to anyone reading this who might be contemplating suicide over finals week. Relax. Everything is fine. The food may not be good but at least you get food. The workload may seem massive, but you're not digging ditches for 12 hours a day. My point of this is this...life is good...especially for those of us who are privileged to a rich life in a first world country. So stop complaining. Enjoy life. Appreciate the blessings...count them one by one and see the fact that they can fill a list.

Finally let me say this. The Bible encourages us to be uplifting people filled with hope. If you read my earlier post on the awesome guy at the library you will remember me referencing this.

It even says in the Bible not to spend too much time being obnoxious with our negativity.

Philippians 2:14-15
Do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Finally keep this in mind:

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Don't focus too much on the negative. That's not what God wants us to think about. He wants us to be focused on what is good. So go through finals (or life or whatever) with that message in mind....I know I will try to do so the best I can.