Querulous Ahoy!

Querulous. The word means habitually complaining. Usually refers to a peevish attitude.
But why am I mentioning this now? I don't suppose I am taking any vocab class at present. (Though I intend to in future).

The reason is simple enough. I believe this word is applicable for most of us. One of our favourite pass-times is sitting around gossiping and complaining about others. We like to blame everyone and anyone we detest. Be it our teacher, servant, friend, relative, uncle, principal, washer man, doctor, whoever. It makes us feel good. As if we are taking a load off our backs by criticizing others and finding faults with them. Never mind the fact that we are ourselves far from perfect, and that such faults exist within us as much as they do within others.

Whenever I sit down for a discussion, usually the topic changes till we all begin criticizing or complaining about someone or something. I will give you a few examples.

'Uff, that idiotic teacher knows nothing. In fact I can teach him a few things or too. I wonder why he doesn't go elsewhere to torture students.'

'Damn it, its so hot. I can't stand the heat. And the stupid AC is not working. What kind of a place is this? And I am thirsty too.'

'You foolish servant. You dropped and broke my precious glass. You are always up to no good. Someday you will steal all my goods and run away. You rotten scoundrel.'

'Silly boy. Again got only 75% while XYZ got 90% marks. You never study and waste your time drawing and playing chess. You are a good-for-nothing loser who will never be able to succeed in life.'

'You know what. India can never progress. The over-population is killing me. And there is pollution everywhere. I cannot even breathe properly. The people here are rude and insolent. The crime rate is increasing day by day. And buses or trains remain as crowded as ever. Plus the politicians never grow tired of looting us.'

I could keep on giving numerous such examples but will stop here. I think you get the picture now. I admit I am myself 100% guilty of being a querulous person. Though my favorite topic for criticism is the Indian Education System.

It is very easy to lift your finger and point at someone else to blame. But remember that every time you lift a finger at someone, three more fingers will point at you. So from next time before you start your silly game of complaining and blaming, pause and think for a while. 'Am I doing the right thing?' Sure, we have many problems in life, but we should tackle them with an optimistic attitude. Complaining and blaming will never help in solving your problem. At max, it can give you just a temporary sense of relief.

I would like to end this post with a quote from Guru Granth Sahib:

'Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansaar. So Sukhiya jis naam Adhaar.'

This means that according to Guru Nanak, the whole world is sad. The only person who is truly happy, is the one who takes the name(and believes in) of God.