Complaining is universal. It's easy, too. Just start by looking outside some days.
And if that doesn't work, drive over an unpaved street, ponder your latest property tax bill or root for the Maple Leafs or Blue Jays. Yup, guaranteed to give you something to gripe about.
But to do the opposite usually takes a little more effort. It usually means getting out and experiencing something firsthand. Something like the Cobequid Educational Centre's annual musical, which wrapped up in Truro this weekend.
As most readers know, the CEC musical has been a community social calendar highlight from the moment the school opened in 1970-71.
And virtually every year since the students and teachers have delivered an amazing show, the titles including such well-known classics as West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, Oklahoma!, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Beauty and the Beast and many more.
The lone exception occurred in 1984 when longtime director Norman Hines was on sabbatical and the musical was substituted with a Shakespearian play.
The Wizard of Oz this year added to CEC's wonderful musical tradition with cast, crew and band members excelling through an ambitious three-hour production that came complete with plenty of memorable songs, some superb dance numbers, riveting special effects, great costumes and sets, and even a real dog stealing a scene or two as the beloved Toto.
In fact, it was hard to believe at times that this wasn't a professional show or that nearly everyone involved were teenagers. About 200 of them. Something to consider the next time one is inclined to complain about today's 'idle' youth.
What is also encouraging is the ongoing community support with three of the six performances sold out (that's about 1,000 people per show) and a fourth coming close. If there is another high school musical in Atlantic Canada that can boost those kinds of numbers, we'd like to hear about it.
Well done, CEC. The only thing we have to complain about is waiting so long for next year's show.
