Many of us spend far too much time borrowing trouble.  We worry about many things that will probably never happen. There are so many legitimate things to worry about--things that must be dealt with in the present--that it seems senseless to concern ourselves with hypothetical situations that we are afraid might occur in the future.  We too often worry about becoming seriously ill, losing our jobs, having our homes destroyed by fire or wind, being struck by lightning, having our best friend move away, and so many other  possible occurrences.  

It is only natural to occasionally think about such things.  Every time there is a major disaster such as a hurricane, flood, or earthquake, we can't help but wonder whether or not we will ever become victims of similar disasters. But we dare not dwell on the matter too much.  We all need to be aware of things that could potentially happen to us so that we can take precautionary measures to reduce the likelihood that such things will actually happen to us. But, beyond that, it seems best for us to assume that these dreaded things will not happen to us. There is nothing to be gained by thinking otherwise.           

We can make our lives miserable by becoming obsessed with the fear that horrible things might happen to us. Instead of enjoying the many pleasures that are at hand, we spend much of our time thinking morbid thoughts. If we are determined to borrow trouble, no matter how senseless it seems, we should at least try to avoid lending it to our neighbors.  They have their own legitimate worries, and the last thing they need is to be burdened by our irrational fears. 

Since some people are very private, and tend to keep their problems to themselves, we never know for sure just what kinds of burdens other people are carrying. Therefore, we need to be careful not to add our own burdens to those of others. It is alright for us to share real problems with others.  In fact, it is hard to keep our sanity if we cannot occasionally talk to other people about our problems.  But we should make sure that the problems we are sharing are real, and not imagined.  Most people very much dislike chronic complainers, especially those who exaggerate their problems.  So, if we want other people to continue to listen to our problems, we must avoid complaining to them about borrowed troubles.  If we want to borrow trouble, that is our business.  But do we really have any right to burden others with our borrowed troubles? 

TB-34—Posted 05-19-2014