The Pitfalls of Venting

Venting, like so many other things in this life, is a double-edged sword. Anger, frustration, depression and disillusionment are all extremely uncomfortable emotions and sometimes difficult to process. Venting to those we trust gives us the temporary release we sometimes need to make it to the end of the day, or the week, or the month, or whatever other mountainous molehill we have currently built up in our heads.

The problem with venting, much like antidepressants and painkillers, is that it can be somewhat habit-forming and it only ever provides a temporary solution. What is worse is that the longer an individual relies on venting to ease the negativity in their lives, the more dependent they become on it to cope; and the costs of this rise as time goes on. Think about it - everybody knows someone who clearly loves to feel sorry for themselves. If you ask them what's wrong, you had best hope you don't have to get anywhere in a hurry because these fuckers can drone on indefinitely about the endless tale of woe that is their lives. Lack of close friendships will almost always be a complaint, and it's not hard to guess why. The running "First world problems" joke exists because of people like these.

The bleeding heart will always take pity on them and fight to the bitter end to help these people see the light. The initial impulse is to try to be sensitive to their complaints while gently urging them to look at the positive things, but unless you've got a particularly wise or self-aware person on your hands the kind approach is probably going to be an exercise in frustration.

When you vent too frequently it turns into whining, and it annoys the piss out of even the most sympathetic individual eventually. There's a thin line, and crossing it is a slippery slope because venting gets mighty comfortable. Most people don't fall into the trap of becoming a full-blown self-defeating Martyr, but they CAN end up turning into a BIT of a martyr over certain issues in their lives and even this can be a lot for loved ones to cope with if the real issue isn't dealt with. My aunt was a good example. She married a sentient tumor of a human being (Gawd Rest His Soul and all that bullshit...) and spent the rest of her life bitching about it. I know back in the day marriage really was supposed to be ride or die, but when the person you've married points the business end of a rifle at your head in a psychotic stupor more than once one would think you would have the sense to get the fucker committed.

There are certain things that certain human beings just weren't meant to endure. Not being able to stand something doesn't make you weak - standing up and refusing to take it makes you strong. Weakness is bending over and taking it, then expecting your loved ones to be okay with watching you grimace your way through yet another fucking. If you've been told life is a box of chocolates and it seems more like a fifty foot spider monkey flinging shit balls, maybe it's because you were meant to be the hundred foot mutant lizard that grabs that little fucker by the scruff of the neck and drop kicks his sorry ass straight into the Pacific. Food for thought.