Drama

When I was in high school, like every other high schooler on the planet, I was surrounded by drama. High school kids love drama. That's half the reason we use this website – to willingly separate ourselves from drama and immaturity. Interpersonal skills developed in school prepare young adults for working with others and managing relationships for the rest of their lives, and part of that development comes from experiencing drama in some shape or form.

But why is it that, more than 10 years since leaving high school, I am surrounded by more drama than I ever experienced in high school? Why is it that the talent of perpetuating drama seems to magnify with age?

Drama in high school tends to consist of rumor spreading and the damaging of one's reputation among friends. But when an adult is the cause of drama the intent behind the adult's actions appears far more malicious (and the results far more consequential) - defaming a person's credibility, affecting positions of power, even requiring the involvement of high priced attorneys to resolve a situation that two adults couldn't resolve on their own.

We all know somebody personally who creates problems with drama. They have a small problem or a small concern, so these self centered bundles of dick don’t fix the problem – they only compound the problem and tell everyone else who the root of the problem is. They attempt to polarize everybody against that other person. And you and I, stuck in the middle, are vilified for being impartial, disagreeing about the magnitude of the problem, or worse – not mindlessly disagreeing with the person who is at the center of blame.

I will not soapbox, nor do I see the need to elucidate the driving force behind this rant. Once one hugely dramatic episode dissolves into the non-issue it was to begin with, another hugely dramatic episode will take its place. Maybe the same person or group of people, or maybe in another facet of my daily life, whether it’s my workplace or my family or my community.

And people wonder why I spend so much time playing video games.