Father: “Would you prefer to talk to a knowledgeable person so that you can create a better informed opinion?”
Son: “No. I like my opinion and just want to complain to other people.”
— conversation in our house last night.
A complaint is a great magician’s trick.
Bitching around the water cooler, non-stop pettiness, perpetual lament over minor ailments, never-ending woe-is-me’s.
Those gripes gives us the delusion of importance under the illusion of entertainment. The complainer is a magician who cleverly deludes his audience into feelings that something important has transpired, while the audience walks away entertained by the biting sarcasm.
In the end though, the audience is fooled, the magician is a fraud, and nothing changes.
The real trick is to change one’s words and tone, while directing an opinion at a person in a position to make a change. That can often affect real change.
Complaining is just a magical illusion. And it’s not even a very good show at that.
Yesterday’s gift of time … Band instrument repair shop couldn’t get the instruments done on time. The choices were complain and leave my daughter’s hung out to dry during class, or just go get the instruments across town at an obscenely early hour. Chose the latter.
Give Our Time 
So true. Complaining also fools us into thinking we have no choice or power over our own situation or our reactions to it, which certainly isn’t conducive to happiness or productivity!
Cat
Well said, Cat.