Zen and the Art of Cribbing

This is actually about the art of cribbing, but the word Zen adds a little bit of mystique to the discussion.

We all crib. The list of things to crib about expands with the time available to us for cribbing, like Parkinson's Law which says work expands to fill available time. IT guys who do billing by the hour should know this well. This also reminds me of a joke- two lawyers were discussing how they bill their clients (in the US) and one asked the other, "Do you include the hours you spend dreaming about the case?".

Anyway, back to cribbing. This can easily start with the weather- too hot, too cold, too humid, too...., and go on to the place where you kept your unwashed cup, clothes, dishes, or the amount you spent on x, y, z, (this is my favourite), to imaginary slights (he/she did not even look at me, etc. etc..) and so on. But what is the philosophy of cribbing?

Sociologically, if you expect companions in misery, it makes sense to crib, to find a community of like-minded, well...cribbers. Makes you feel part of a larger group with whom you have common cause. You can always find a boss, a parent, a spouse, assorted relatives, or capitalists, MNCs, Terrorists, Religious minorities or majorities, the traffic, inflation (not our opinion about the self, but the price-rise) and a zillion other crib-worthy objects of attention. If something good comes out of it, like some action towards improving your environment, it may actually do all of us some good. If not, well, at least you got the conversation going!

Maybe, just maybe, positive thinking may also be contagious. But don't take my word for it.