There are reasons enough in the world to feel worried and concerned.
Nonsense and injustice, ignorance and prejudice, just to name a few.
Mistakes are made day after day, frequently out of kindness and in good
faith, although those are poor consolations to those on the receiving
end.
Rightful indignation
Should one choose to feel distressed? The answer to this
question will depend on what you want to achieve. Let us not
underestimate the appeal of rightful indignation. Complaining makes you
feel important, gives free rein to your emotions, and gets you closer to
like-minded plaintiffs or outraged defendants.
Anger increases
your energy and keeps you alert, but it has substantial drawbacks. More
often than not, obfuscation will blind you to reality and lead you to
discard relevant facts. You will misjudge people and situations,
attributing ill-intent where only negligence exists. Wild emotions can easily block your personal development and lead you to foolish actions such as the following.
First, ongoing
activities will be put on hold waiting for redress that might or might
not come, but will sure not happen today. Life goes on and indignation
keeps you focused on the past. Anger prevents you from using your hours
in the best possible way.
Preserving your resources
Second, your expectations of obtaining
reparation will often be unrealistic. Even if you possess all the good
arguments in the world, your claim might have to face indifference and
contempt, inefficiency and nepotism. Your resources will be exhausted
and your patience eroded.
Third, most people do not care and few will
even make the effort to listen, let alone understand what you are
saying. Thinking in principles requires substantial mental
concentration. Unless someone is already used to abstract reasoning, his
perception of your story will not go beyond unconnected details.
Fourth, the financial and personal cost of pursuing old claims can be extremely
high. Stress, preoccupation, uncertainty, fees, and deposits will eat
up your savings and weaken your health. Would you not rather use your
energies for better purposes?
The overwhelming evidence
In terms of results, the evidence
is overwhelming. Stress, anger, and indignation are not worth the cost
you pay and the time you waste. You have much better options at your
disposal. Serenity and persistent action will bring you more advantages
than unbridled emotions. Understanding this will radically change your
view of the world.
If you have made mistakes, learn the lesson and start
something new. If you find yourself in a position that forces you to deal every day with unreasonable people, move on and find better people to share
your life with. If your talents are not being properly appreciated, cut off your losses and join those
who admire what you have to offer. Liberate your ship from the
entanglements of dead waters, make a clean slate, and head for a
friendlier horizon.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.comImage by RobBixbyPhotography under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us