Rachel Weisel | Would you like cheese with that whine?

Maya Angelou once said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

This is exactly the message that inspired Reverend Will Bowen of Christ Unity Church, in Kansas City, Mo. to create a campaign known as "A Complaint Free World."

The challenge: Stop complaining and gossiping for 21 consecutive days.

Bowen began the program when he felt members of his congregation complained too much about trivial matters.

I don't know what kind of problems caused his congregants' incessant nagging. But if Reverend Bowen were to pay a visit to this campus, he would find Penn students are overachievers when it comes to complaining.

Here at Penn, we love to complain. It should really be a major. Or at least a minor. Maybe with a concentration in facilities, food or weather studies. You name it, it's been said, or should I say, whined.

First there are the classics: Too much homework, not enough sleep and lots of exams. It's getting to the point where asking someone "how are you?" has become an invitation for a tirade about every single source of stress in the person's life.

Post-spring-break complaints about skin peeling, irregular tan-lines and sun poisoning are rampant around here these days as well.

I know I do my own fair share of complaining. As a columnist, I have an excuse to rant about things I don't like. It's part of my job. As a college student, daughter and older sister, I have no trouble finding an endless supply of material available for complaining.

Gossip is another story altogether. I got the low-down on who made out with whom on Saturday night, who wound up in the hospital after a little too much partying and who did not look good in her dress, just by listening to conversation in Houston Hall.

When I found out about Bowen's campaign, I decided to give it a shot and see how long I would last. No complaining? No problem. Or so I thought.

The rules are simple: You wear a purple bracelet on your arm (think Lance Armstrong, only with the word "Spirit" instead of "Livestrong"). If you complain, gossip or criticize at any time, you must remove the bracelet, place it on your other arm and then begin the entire process again, starting from day one.

If you catch another participant in the act of complaining, you can tell him to switch his bracelet to his other arm - but only if you do so first.

Within a few short hours, I found myself bursting at the seams with the need to complain. I tried calling my parents, but had nothing complaint-free to say. Every time I opened my mouth, I felt compelled to talk about my biology midterm, my never-ending to-do list or my inability to figure out my schedule for next semester.

I could hardly contain myself, and eventually succumbed to temptation, as I finally expressed my frustration about not being able to complain.

Clearly, I did not even come close to passing this test. But my failed attempt was a wake-up call.

We have become so self-absorbed that when we can't complain, we have nothing left for conversation. Isn't there anything else to talk about besides our problems?

Complaining does have its benefits: Sharing our anxiety and worries with family, friends or whoever else is willing to listen makes us feel better. It's nice to have someone who can help us carry the burden.

But maybe we would feel even better if we made at least a small effort to cut down on our bad attitudes.

I am not Christian, but I think Rev. Bowen's message has universal significance. We could all use our own purple bracelets to remind us to be less critical.

Though his idea is simple, successfully completing the challenge is much easier said than done.

According to an article on the Today show's Web site, it took Bowen himself three and a half months to reach the three-week mark.

My best friend just got back from an alternate spring break helping refugees in the Dominican Republic. The first words she said to me after her trip were "I'll never complain again."

If we stop focusing on our problems and stop making them the center of our conversations, we can also gain this kind of perspective.

Until then, as my parents often ask me, would you like some cheese with that whine?

Rachel Weisel is a College freshman from Chesterfield, Missouri. Her e-mail address is weisel@dailypennsylvanian.com. Writes of Passage appears on Fridays.

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