The bad bit in every good bit

Humans have evolved over centuries to be the sophisticated, multi-tasking, social media frantic and technology-obsessed beings of today. People used to be simpler back in the old days when life was less complicated. Situations and hardships were handled with courage as they came. Think of the Great Depression, the countless wars we study about in our history books, the rise of dictatorships across the world.

Imagine the lives of the common folk. The unbridled masses who took every trouble in their stride. Values were important- the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. Troubles came, but they were handled more gracefully. Life used to be simpler and relationships were a lot less complex.

Anne Frank was a young girl who died in the Jewish concentration camps in the Nazi regime. She was one happy and hopeful kid, believing that things would be better soon. She focused on the good in miserable times. She wrote in a diary which was recovered later, and serves as a reminder of bravery and resilience in times of severe hardships.

Humans have an uncanny tendency to hold on to bad thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This leads a person to become weaker in body and in mind. Focusing on what isn’t right has been right in the DNA of human beings. Little things, that probably do not even matter that much. Bad grades for a student, bad relationships for a woman, a jilted boss for a man, an incompetent student for a teacher, uncaring and ungrateful children for aging parents.

The desire to change everything around us is one of the topmost reasons for unhappiness. Finding the bad bit in every good bit, just to piss your own self and destroy any sense of calm. Not to deny that this is, after all, a personal trait. One does encounter humans with an outstanding ability to bear pain with a smile, and also have the maturity to accept bad bits and move on.

However, we have become more easy-going today. Hardships are there, but many degrees lesser than the olden times. Everything was a struggle back then. Even grinding the spices for lunch, or bringing home the bread somehow. With so many hardships, came an iron resolve to face them head-on.

The need for instant gratification, coupled with an inflated sense of self-importance has really done the generation of today in. Resilience, patience, labor, and hard work are wasted ideas. And technology is also to blame for this attitude.

I can order pizza at the click of a button. Why should I apologize to my wife for yelling at her for a delay in dinner? Why should I take the effort to mend a relationship?

I can finish my assignment in a half hour by taking the solution off the Internet. Why should I waste time in actually learning something and attempting it myself?

I can make thousands of friends with the same interests as me on social media portals. Why should I hold on to my childhood friend after so many years?

Though we enjoy an easy life undoubtedly, it is not a very fulfilling one. We are trapped in our own shells, struggling to find meaningful relationships and connections. Old fashioned values like courage, hard work, gratitude, and politeness have taken a back seat. It is time we stopped to focus on the bad bits and just accepted them. Who knows, a good bit may be just around the corner waiting to give us the happiness we so yearn for? Let us attempt to be half the brave humans who have lived so ideally before us. And let us cheer them on as they lead us on the journey of self-fulfillment and happiness.