I’m not sure whether it’s because I’m a little grown up now, or whether kids these days like to portray themselves as victims, but I see a lot of young folks complaining about their parents and upbringing these days. I know Indian families have traditionally been highly cohesive, which leads to a complicated relationship with parents, the wider family and sacrifices/tradeoffs made during ones’ upbringing. But if you’re a grown ass adult still complaining about it, life ain’t gonna be an easy ride for you.

As a core tenet of stoicism, recently made popular by Sahil Bloom, never complain – either do something to change your circumstances or accept fate. Complaining about being the victim might make you feel good by venting, but does very little to change your objective reality.

The vast majority of us didn’t have perfect parents or upbringing growing up. However, it was probably far from the worst fate, even though it wasn’t perfect. Maybe you got dealt a shittier hand than average, but you have your whole life to make up for it.

If you’re older than 18, keep this rule in your mind the next time before you complain. If you’re older than 25 and still complaining about your parents and upbringing, you need to make major changes to your mentality if you want to a fulfilling life – the primary one being accepting personal responsibility for your life.