Ungrateful - By: Chelsia Che

Beginning from fourth grade, I’ve noticed the increase of classmates and friends beating themselves up at the slightest inconvenience. If they can’t get a perfect 100, they call themselves dumb, or if a teacher doesn’t speak to them as much as others, it’s assumed that they aren’t liked. They do it so much so that they become blind to all the positive things that have happened to them, ungrateful for all the good that has happened.

If someone chooses to dwell on all the small negative incidents, why should they ever experience anything good? It’ll all be wasted when the hardships come, anyways.

I believe that it is ungrateful of someone to devalue themselves unreasonably.

In the beginning of eighth grade, my friend and I constantly complained about bad grades- especially about our math tests. Known to many friends and classmates in my algebra class, I am absolutely horrible at math. It’s been so bad, that a norm for me was to receive a 70 and sometimes even a 60 on tests and quizzes. Of course, my friend was significantly better than me at math, but whenever she received a bad grade, I was able to empathize and help her feel better.

However, I began to improve in math in the middle of the year, and saw some 80’s and 90’s. In fact, I saw a few 100’s on quizzes occasionally. The first incident of my good fortune was when I got a 98 on a math test. Overjoyed by the miracle, I ran excitedly to tell my friend about it. She told me her grade- it wasn’t as good as mine, but it wasn’t horrible. As usual, I tried to comfort her, I knew how it felt to be surpassed by friends in all aspects of life. But she wouldn’t listen.

In fact, she snapped, calling me a “98” and telling me that I’d never know how she felt to be the worst at math. While I knew she did it out of jealousy, her actions confused me. How could someone ignore all the good grades she received before and snap at a friend just because of one grade? If something bad were to happen, wouldn’t someone turn to the good things so they’d feel better? Why would someone so smart act so illogically in that situation? If someone were to be angry about grades, I’m sure that it would’ve been me.

Perhaps she had something else going on, or she was just too competitive for her own good, but from then on, I found it confusing when someone said that they were the worst at something when they really weren’t. While their problems were just as important as someone else’s, perhaps they could choose to be more grateful for what they have, before devaluing themself.

Even I continue to work at this problem, as it's become a habit for me to do the same. I do my best to tell myself it’s okay to not win every game, and that I’ll just try harder next time. I think I’ve gotten better, but I still mess up from time to time.

I make sure it doesn’t bother me too much, though.