Why do People Complain so much?
If you ask anyone in the world who has spent some time with a Portuguese person, you will find out that one of the main characteristics of the Portuguese is to talk about things that they are not happy about.
Only when I lived in Norway was I confronted with this genetic characteristic that I inherited. At first, I was in denial, of course. No one really wants to accept the shadows about oneself. I had heard that I was a whiner before, even in my homeland, but I couldn’t quite see it. I believed that talking about something and telling it like it was, could be a remarkable trait, especially if I could be extremely detailed about the issue at hand. Having such a deep sense of analysis could be the first step to improving anything or anyone — at least, so I thought in my narrow-minded point of view.
It was necessary to live the day-to-day of a totally different culture to see the mirror in front of me. As I observed how other people behaved and, especially, how they talked, I realised that all my life I had an overly emphasis on talking about things that were not good or not OK, rather than focusing my attention and my words on things I appreciated. This was such an eye-opener for me!
Using myself as an example, may not translate the trait of an entire people, but as I lived in different locations, as I met diverse cultures and people, I…
