Refer to a subconscious neurotic mechanism of compensation developed by the individual as a result of feelings of inferiority. - Wikipedia
A few days back, my dad and my aunt had a heated discussion for a very unusual topic, 'which is the shortest way' to Ylaya Street from Jose Abad Santos street. And by “heated”, it means that they were shouting at each other, telling each other how ignorant the other one is.
But, who cares??? It doesn’t really matter which way you take, because you’ll just end up in the same place. Why bother?
Unfortunately, for those two, being correct is like their addiction. They love to argue with people just to prove that they are better, smarter, and superior to others.
My dad would almost always contradict any person’s opinion or idea regardless if it’s already correct. He would always have a “more” correct idea that would render your idea incorrect no matter how twisted his opinion was.
Another manifestation of his condition is his constant complain about food. You would always hear negative remarks from him for almost every meal of every day, except when he’s not around. Some typical comments would be... “rice is burnt”, “rice is half-cooked”, “the food is not edible”, “don’t know how to cook”, "same food as yesterday", etc.
I really hate it when somebody complains about food. People are literally starving to death in almost every corner of the World and yet some people are incapable of appreciating how lucky they are to have food on the dining table.
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Moving on to my aunt, who manifests a different behavior towards foods, she would never voluntarily eat anything that I or my eldest sister buys. Although mainly due to some personal issues, another reason is because she doesn’t like the idea of “being fed” by someone else.
She has always thought that the “feeder” should be in absolute control of the “consumer”, a very self-serving belief indeed.
I do appreciate everything that they've shared to us and I'm really grateful for it and I would be glad to return them the favor. But it won't just happen if they're not willing to accept our help and support.
I would always hear her complaining that she's been working for a very long time and that she should be retired by now. And yet she's not willing to give up the store or do anything to make that happen.
I guess, that basic fear of change have crippled her ability to become satisfied and happy in her life.
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It's just unfortunate because it seems that there's no way they would even consider their behavior as improper, let alone change for the better.
How would you tell a grown person to grow up?
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P.S. I have a lot of things on my mind regarding this topic but I find it a little difficult to put them all into writing... :(