By Staff
Did you ever notice how much we, as a country, complain about everything? Think about it … government is bad, prices are too high, we work too little, yet become upset when we have to work overtime, we complain we don't have enough money for bills, yet buy something we didn't even need in the first place … everywhere we go and everyone we see always seems to be complaining about something.
I'm not any different. I complain too. I didn't like paying over $3 for a gallon of gas. My cell phone bill is always way too high (and it's my fault that I go over on minutes), yet I blame my cell phone provider for my outrageous bill. I complain when the weather is too cold, yet complain when it's too hot. We all do it, we're all guilty of it, but it's time to think a little more positive – myself included.
I got an e-mail last week that pretty much summed everything up I wanted to say for my column.
Newsweek magazine published a poll that alleges 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.
Sure, there are plenty of reasons people should be upset with things, but lets take a look at the big picture and see why we shouldn't be upset.
If everyone is so unhappy, why not move to another country? Why not move to a place where there is constant terror. A place where you live in a home made of wood and blankets. Or a place where your home is under a tree in a jungle surrounded by wildlife. How about a place where you have no shelter whatsoever.
Doesn't sound good?
Ok, how about moving to a city where children are hung in your own backyard and women have to walk around with their faces covered 24/7. How about a place where your only source of light is the sun and you're only source of water is from a river contaminated with who knows what.
We complain about so much, yet wonder why everyone else in the world gives us the cold shoulder.
Recently, one big thing in this town has been the whole school bond issue. Why are we complaining? Because we don't have the luxury of surrounding cities? Because we feel we aren't better if we don't show off a big fancy high school? In Afghanistan, children go to school outside. They sit in dirt, no roof over their heads and write with stones. man we have it bad, don't we?
Here's a something to think about: John Eby wrote a story in Tuesday's Dowagiac Daily News about a foreign exchange student from Brazil.
His name is Jose Vicente and he is living with a host family in Dowagiac. This is how, in his own words, he described America – "You're the richest country in the world and we watch on TV when American troops invade other countries."
Although Jose did admit American people were much nicer than described on TV, in the eyes of someone from the outside, we are a country of spoiled brats!
Where Jose is from, he said he can't even walk around at night time because the violence is becoming so bad. He said in Dowagiac, he saw the same person walking three times in one day. "That would never happen where I'm from." he said.
So again, I need to know, why are Americans this way? We drive nice cars, are free to have picnics and parties in our own backyards, we stay cool in the summer with AC and warm in the winter with heat. We can travel from state to state and see the beauty of our country and we can get to know a complete stranger just by approaching them in the streets. We complain because we only make $12 an hour, yet, in other countries, $12 a week is something to celebrate.
Wake up America. We are privileged to live where we live, have the things we do and enjoy everything we can. It's no wonder we are looked down upon by other countries, but it's not too late to change it.