July 29th, 2022
Why is everyone so angry?
It’s a tough question, but never fear, because I have the answer. No one’s going to read it, but I have it.
Over the years, I’ve had to develop ways to deal with myself, because I am the worst. Perhaps the most important tool I’ve gained (besides recognizing and tempering my self-pity, of which I have a lot) is my ability to manage my expectations.
Maybe you’ve already figured out the answer yourself, but I’ll keep going anyway.
I just watched the Light & Magic documentary series on Disney+, about the special effects company ILM, and it is phenomenal. It also perfectly illustrates my upcoming point.
Before CGI, films relied on practical effects to tell their stories. Once the power of computer effects was revealed, we could never go back; this led to resentment from those who were skilled in practical techniques and didn’t wish to join the digital revolution, which quickly dimmed and diminished their industry.
It made them angry.
Which now brings me to my point.
If your expectation is that the world will not change, then you will gain resentment when it does.
That resentment will turn people into ugly things. That resentment will make people mad.
And the world will never, ever stop changing.
Which means that people who hold on to their expectations, who hold on to their resentments, will never, ever stop being angry.
When someone I know finds themselves in a situation that makes them upset, I ask them why.
They usually start by saying, “Well, I thought…”
And I wonder aloud why it’s the situation’s fault that they thought it was going to be anything other than what it is.
So: why is everyone so angry?
They don’t know what else to expect.
The Den 