A world that continually caters to making people more and more comfortable creates a world full of people who are less and less capable of coping with — and being open to — even the slightest discomfort or inconvenience.

We need to teach people to be able to deal with the challenges of life, not attempt to remove them all.

There will always be bullying. There will always be inclement weather. Flight delays. Long lines. Loud neighbors. Bumps in roads. Rule breakers…

Don’t give your child an unusual name, they’ll get made fun of? No. How about we provide children with the ability to effectively deal with name-calling and to not have their self-esteem be under other people’s control. How about we teach critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills?

How about we teach people effective coping and communication skills and stop encouraging a world of people who simply want to make noise and complain?

I’m sorry, but not having enough whipped cream on your Mocha Frappuccino is not a real problem. Having to wait in line is not a real problem. Being bored is not a real problem.

If you’re on fire, yeah, that’s a real problem.

The above inconveniences are simply symptoms of a problem. And the problem is that we should all be able to easily and effectively deal with these things without them turning into some kind of negative “event” in our lives.

Don’t give people or minor inconveniences the power to ruin your day. As that will be a day of your life wasted.

We should work on being stronger — and helping others be stronger — and not on constantly trying to make life easier and more comfortable.

The real world doesn’t go away just because we dress it up to look like something else. All that does is alienate us from what’s real and lessens our ability to effectively deal with the inevitable challenges we all must face in life.

“We acquire the strength we have overcome.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related:

• Life isn’t always easy
• Growth and Discomfort : Getting outside of your comfort zone
• The problem with problems
• Help stamp out rampant complaining
• Self-imposed limitations: A tough pill to swallow
• “Can’t.” You keep using that word.