We complain every day—about traffic, noise, delays, behavior, systems. Complaining has become almost automatic.
But there is a specific kind of complaint that often goes unnoticed: contributing complaints. These are complaints about problems we also help create.
• Complaining about traffic while parking on the street.
• Complaining about noise while playing videos on speaker in public.
• Complaining about pollution while littering or wasting resources.
• Complaining about bad drivers while ignoring basic road rules.
• Complaining about long lines while cutting when possible.
• Complaining about crowded places while choosing peak hours.
• Complaining about slow replies while leaving messages on seen.
• Complaining about fake news while sharing posts without reading.
• Complaining about screen addiction while endlessly scrolling.
• Complaining about shallow content while rewarding it with attention.
• Complaining about gossip while spreading it.
• Complaining about toxic work culture while pressuring others.
• Complaining about weak leadership while avoiding responsibility.
• Complaining about bad service while being rude to staff.
• Complaining about food while having no role in choosing or buying it.
• Complaining about being spoken to with bad words while using them yourself.
• Complaining about stress while refusing rest or boundaries.
• Complaining about an unanswered prayer after praying only once.
• Etceteras…
These complaints feel valid, because the problems are real. But contributing complaints blur responsibility. They criticize without change.
Most problems do not persist because no one complains. They persist because many people contribute—then complain. The uncomfortable truth is simple: we are often both the victim and the cause.
Complaining is easy. Self-awareness is harder. Real improvement does not begin with louder complaints. It begins when we stop contributing.
And maybe the most useful question to ask is not, “Who is causing this?” but:
Am I part of this?
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
