Who, Me?

A veteran seminary professor has painted a composite picture of all the “rules” followed by the people he has observed and counseled who seem devoted to the task of making things miserable for themselves and others — taking the joy out of life …

RULE NUMBER ONE: Feel sorry for yourself. A perfect place to start. Nothing is more certain to make you miserable than self-pity.

RULE NUMBER TWO: Worry about things that could happen but probably won’t. There are all kinds of worrisome things that might happen if you just look for them. (You might just know several people who excel at this.)

RULE NUMBER THREE: Complain … find fault with everything. You can cultivate this practice into a fine art-form. There is no person or thing in which an expert complainer cannot find flaws. Never mind the strong points, just concentrate on the weaknesses.

RULE NUMBER FOUR: Insist on always having your own way. Don’t cooperate. Don’t compromise. Don’t ever give in. Just…