Difficult for the Sake of Being Difficult

We all know them.  We all have them in our lives. Personal, professional, mildly transcendentally connected twice removed. But they are there.  Those individuals who simply are not content unless they are discontent and makings others lives chaotic.  It's an absurdity that happiness can come from unhappiness, but for these odd fellows, that is exactly where they thrive.  Its what wakes them every day, motivates them forward, and lets them sleep like the dead at night.

The idea of derailing something magnificent is invigorating and awe inspiring to the muckrakers. They sow seeds of distrust and doubt wherever they go and hope to see them grow.  They are fire starters, running around like little devils lighting embers hoping something catches and creates a cataclysmic event. Mostly, those of us who are sane, just see them as maniacal lunatics. Trouble makers. Obstructionists. Willing to stand in the way of progress simply for the sake of standing still.

It's likely due to a bevvy of character flaws, not the least of which is a need to feel power and control over something. So... they grab it in the most destructive way they can. Killing them with kindness only makes them more paranoid and suspicious. Ignoring them, ignites vengeance.

Tell them the sky is blue and they will debate the spectrum of light with you simply to prove themselves superior. Go to a restaurant and they will place inane requests and demands followed by inexcusable rudeness to the staff. They are knowledgeable on every topic, but masters of none, though they will insist quite the opposite and debate it until you simply concede just to shut them up.

The difficult for the sake of being difficult come in all sizes and shapes, all ages, all walks of life.  They may be loved ones, coworkers, distant relatives, neighbors, or passing acquaintances, but they are all around us. They simply aren't comfortable being content and happy like the rest of us.  Instead, their calm comes from chaos. Stirring the pot, and watching as the rest of the world reacts to what they have created. For us, it creates challenge, keeps us on our toes, but we manage and somehow always seem to smile. For them, each challenge that doesn't break us simply makes them crazier. Eventually they move from one cause to another, sometimes circling back.  But...since failure is difficult to accept, they simply ignore it and find another cause to focus their negative energy on.

I know I can be difficult, but it is isolated, and with intent, and it has purpose. A beginning and an end. I am not difficult for the sake of being difficult. I much prefer to focus on the positive.