"Those People"

Last month I took a fishing trip in the interior of Alaska.  No phones, no internet, set up tents every day, and cook over a camp stove.  It was a fantastic adventure in an isolated area.  When my guide service was taking us back to the airport he told us of another person who had just come off a trip and was not happy because there was no Starbucks out there.  No kidding. He said the guide made the man his personal coffee every day, but he was still disappointed.  I thought my guide was joking, but sadly, he wasn’t.

This reminded me of a life truth.  There really are people out there with that level of entitlement.  People who think everyone’s job is to serve them because they deserve this kind of treatment.  There are also people who I am convinced don’t really want to be happy. They enjoy complaining, finding fault and being a pain. They range over the entire economic and social spectrum.  This is a fact of life.

What drives the rest of us crazy is that we want them to see how childish and egomaniacal they are being. A pastor of mine years ago gave some sage wisdom along these lines.  I’ll paraphrase what he said. “You need to understand that most people who are acting like jerks don’t see it that way. That light bulb is not going to come on. And your desire to see it come on will drive you nuts”.

You may think I am being harsh and that is your prerogative. Yet this isn’t something new. People have not really changed, ever. We all tend to be selfish pigs and without the transforming power of God, may well stay that way. This is the world we are living in, doing business in, pastoring churches in, and raising our children in.  So, here is my two cents for how to navigate these waters.

• Realize the truth of the above and move on.  Don’t let people like this wreck your day, your week or your life.  Don’t give them that kind of power over you. They have not earned that right.  Let them vent if needed, but don’t give too much weight to their words and don’t take what they say personally.  

• Understand that it is unlikely that you will be able to fully please them.  They are determined to find fault and be unhappy.  In my days as a homebuilder I remember a customer for whom the drywall job in their house was never good enough. I believe that if God himself would have been the drywall contractor it still would not have been satisfactory.  So, the answer is to get thought it the best you can. Do your best and be OK with them not being thrilled. Then move on to all the people out there who are reasonable and fun to associate with. 

• Make sure you are not one of those people. Give your spouse or someone else you trust permission to speak frankly into your life.  Pick someone who genuinely cares about you and has your best interest at heart.  If you have a want to, you can grow and change. But the “want to” starts with you.

I love mankind, it’s people I can’t stand. – Charles W. Schulz

Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein