"Howya doin'?" I asked my colleague, flashing a chipper smile.
"Fine," he responded cautiously. "And how are you?"
"Hey, I can't complain!" I said, whipping out my corny trademark thumbs-up.
"You never can complain!"
Of course I can't.
Fear is a weakness. Anger is a weakness. Blame is a weakness. And since complaining is mainly just a way to express all of those very human emotions, complaining is certainly a weakness.
Can I complain? Hell yeah! This is a terrifying situation. Emotions are high and there's a cloud of desperation so thick that it seems to affect the color of the light in the rooms. But weakness begets weakness and I can't afford to be puttin' that into the universe because I need my friends to be strong right now.
The only control I can take over the situation is control over my own outward reaction. If that is percieved as lacking weakness then maybe I can win some cred and make important connections. And if I can be just a little bit infectious with my levity then perhaps seeing my reflection in someone will earn me a moment of genuine peace.
The downside is that I have discovered how silly people look when they're whipping out a corny thumbs-up