I haven’t done Thursday Thirteen for a while. My health meant I had to cut down, but I enjoyed it! So I’ve slotted it back in.
13. Is it a problem at work? Is it something you can’t quite grasp? Is it a woman (or man)? Or do you have a pimple on the end of your nose? Whatever it is, it’s none of them really. It’s just – frustration!!!
12. We all suffer from it – constantly. Things just don’t go right. This is wrong. That is wrong. The world is wrong. Or maybe – are you ready for this? – or maybe, it’s just you who’s wrong. And it’s so damned frustrating!!!
11. Life is a compromise.
We don’t like to admit it, but it is. But a compromise between what? Well, between what YOU want out of life, and what life allows you to do. And there’s a sensible reason why. Even if it is damned … well, you know.
10. We all have goals in life. If we don’t, we don’t really live. And those goals are based on our selfish needs – our urge for advancement. But society needs a degree of order. If that wasn’t the case, all we’d have is chaos. So life HAS to be about give and take.
9. It’s a good job this is the case.
You see, frustration can be so life enhancing. It drives us on to do things, to think things, to be things. In this sense, frustration is not a hindrance, but a creative capacity in life.
8. Unless you’re too impatient. If so, then frustration can cause violence. If you descend to the ‘it’s not fair’ crap, then instead of being creative, you punch out, attempting to knock down those obstacles instead of being ingenious, and working round them.
7. Frustration therefore offers us choices.
The choice to excel or fail. To be someone, or nobody. To evolve, or devolve. To be good or bad. Frustration is moralizing. Perhaps if we realized this, we’d be able to handle it better.
6. But frustration is also something else. Just imagine a world without frustration. Wouldn’t that be nice? You’re kidding! What would you do? Isn’t frustration the thing that drives you on? Without frustration, you’d never do anything.
5. But it goes even deeper.
Maybe frustration isn’t only a personal thing, but a social thing, too. Could it be that frustration is a vital element of what we do as a society – as a species, even? Let me explain.
4. One thing I’ve noticed about history is that thinkers will have a good idea for change, but in order to get the message across, it becomes sensational. The result of this is that revolution usually occurs, and the idea becomes extreme.
3. This, in turn, alienates many people who don’t like it. Thus, they get frustrated, which inevitably leads to conflict, and a new good idea comes out of this – but in order to get the message across it becomes sensational ….
2. What a vicious circle our society becomes. But interestingly, this could well be the valid process of social evolution. Which means, dear reader, frustration is the driving force of advancement.
1. Maybe, if we realized this, we could ease our general frustrations just a little, and make that advancement a little less extreme. I suppose it’s all about balance. And nothing is more frustrating than getting the right balance.
© Anthony North, July 2008
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