Is it really that bad, or am I just complaining?
Posted January 06, 2012
I don't usually do much in the way of New Year's Resolutions. This year is not much different. There are a few things, however, that I've been working on lately that I'm going to use the New Year to help reinforce. The first, and perhaps most important, is to complain less.
A week or two ago I came across an article on Hacker News that asserted that "Launching the Kindle Fire was a mistake". The author went on to complain that the Kindle Fire (a device I bought, returned three days later, and then received again as a company holiday gift) as "downright_terrible_". The post went on to enumerate a few minor annoyances, compare it to a device three times more expensive, and generally deride Amazon for even considering releasing it in time for the holidays.
The author did have some valid points; there are definitely places where the software could be improved. That's the main reason I sent the first one back. But his overall tone and message were so negative that it took away any credibility he might have had.
The fact is that, for less than a day's salary, you can get a handheld computer that fits in your back pocket, something which ten years ago was only available to the characters of Star Trek. Yet this sort of caustic criticism is common, especially among the tech community, where hyperbole can almost become a contest.
The whole episode reminded me of one of my favorite bits from Louis CK:
It got me to thinking, do I ever do this? Of course I do. Has it ever benefited me? I can't recall it ever helping. So, assuming I'm a rational person, why do I do it? For some sort of sympathy? As much as I hate to admit it, that's probably the biggest reason. Something about having someonecommiseratewith my plight, no matter howdiminutive, makes me feel better. I'd like to think I'm bigger than that, but, sadly, sometimes I'm not.
So one of my ongoing goals is to stop compelling sympathy from friends and family by complaining about the things in my life that aren't ideal. The fact is, things are pretty good right now, and those things that aren't can, with a little effort, be improved upon. My time will be much better spent this year showing gratitude for the good things or actively improving the less-than- ideal ones. So that's what I'm going to do.
(P.S. I'm much happier with the Kindle Fire since Amazon released the big software update. It fixed a lot of the biggest annoyances, and there are rumors of more updates to come. It's probably not a device I need in any way, but I enjoy having it, despite some of the lingering bugs. Thanks to Fog Creek for the gift!)
