As we have noted, one of the key aspects of the poopiness of our existence is that it tends to come from outside and often comes from those who have some sort of power or influence in our lives.  The resentfulness we feel at the poop of our existence can often lead us to have negative feelings about authority in general from the particular abusive authorities we have to deal with.  This is troublesome for a variety of reasons, not least of which that people in authority generally resent it themselves when those they are in authority do not treat them with proper respect and they have the power to make things difficult and unpleasant for those who do not respect them properly, and also because our own success and well-being in life is often hindered by our inability to get along with people in charge.  It is clear, then, that if our native instincts in dealing with the poopiness of life is to develop a generalized resentment and hostility against the sorts of people who have given us poopy things to deal with in life, we will find ourselves badly prepared to succeed in our existence and will face continual problems related to our disrespectful attitude.

What, then, should be our attitude to dealing with the poopiness of our existence?  The essential question to ask ourselves, to the extent that we wish to determine our attitude towards things, is to determine what we want from life.  Do we want to do what comes naturally and live in accordance with our human nature and to expend as little effort as possible into improving ourselves, growing, and developing habits?  Do we desire to be successful, to have a life that is dedicated towards growth and overcoming difficulties?  Do we have ambitions that require the support of other people—do we wish to obtain authority in an institution, do we want to marry or have lasting romantic relationships or even friendships?  What we want out of life will determine, if we are wise, what attitude we approach to life.  Not everyone is wise, though, or conscious in thinking about what they want from life.  Often people do what is natural, namely cultivate bitterness and resentment about the poopiness of existence, only to find that cultivating these attitudes over years and decades has become an ingrown habit that hinders what we want from life but find it difficult to change.  Still, if we recognize that a bad attitude is a problem that needs to be worked on, that recognition can inspire us to act on it and hopefully change our attitude with effort. 

The situation is far better, though, if our attitude is positive.  We must remember when it comes to having a good attitude that by having a good attitude at the poopiness of existence, we are not saying that what other people inflict upon us is good.  Often, it is not good at all, and pretty often it is very evil.  But we cannot do anything about the evil other people do.  Most often we do not have the power to punish, and even our ability to speak out against the evil may be limited by restraint as to any sort of negative repercussions that will come our way for speaking out against the evil, to say nothing of the righteous anger we may feel at the lack of repercussions that come to other people for having done the evil deeds in the first place.  Yet what we can do, and what we ought to do, is to maintain a good attitude for our own sakes, so that the poopy things that happen to us do not prevent us from having the best life possible.  If anything needs to be understood at the importance of attitude in our lives, it is that our good attitude is something that we cultivate for our own best interests, because it is both the right and the profitable thing for us to do for ourselves.  We do not cultivate a good attitude so that other people may feel less guilty for doing evil.  They are guilty and will be punished at some point—at least so we believe if we believe in some sense of overriding cosmic justice that is enforced, at least eventually—but we cultivate a good attitude so that we will live a better life and not be harmed by our own bitterness and resentment and the negative externalities of our own feelings.  This is not to say that we should deny our feelings—we may need to express them and should find some way of expressing those feelings in a way that harms ourselves and others to the least extent possible[1]. 

It is not always easy to determine what motives are possible that one can use in one’s own life to turn the poopiness of life into something productive and profitable rather than something which destroys oneself and one’s’ chance for happiness.  It is not the intention of this work to prescribe a particular method in order to attain the right attitude towards the inevitable poopiness of existence.  That said, it may be helpful at least to explore some possibilities that can serve to illuminate the way for those who want to have a good attitude about the problems of life but find themselves struggling to be able to do so.  For some people, it may be enough to tell them that having a good attitude is the right and proper thing to do.  If people find it easy enough to achieve a good attitude despite life’s troubles, they likely do not need too many suggestions to be able to do so.  Knowing that it is right and good is enough motivation for such people.  Most people are not so fortunate.  Others may find themselves to be motivated to do what is right in the knowledge that it is good for them.  Having the right attitude towards life’s troubles profits a person in various ways.  For one, the lowered feeling of stress and resentment itself leads the body to suffer less in the way of anxiety, irritation, anger, depression, and the physiological conditions like inflammation, high blood pressure, and the like.   The knowledge that having a good attitude preserves our good relationships with other people and thus allows us to fulfill personal and career ambitions better may also serve to motivate those for whom a keen self-interest is sufficient to do what is right.  It is worthwhile to note that in cases where self-interest unites with what is right and proper, one ought to feel no shame for feeling at least some motivation come from self-interest, since it is hard to expect other people to look out for our interests and well-being if we do not do so first.  Other people will hopefully find themselves encouraged to look out for our interests by our example.

If neither of these two motives is sufficient for us to develop a good attitude, we must figure out what could motivate us to do the hard work of preserving a good attitude in the face of the troubles and difficulties of life.  One such motivation is that developing a good attitude is worthwhile and useful in helping us to avoid negative externalities with others.  If, for example, we are easily angered by the problems we have to deal with in our lives, that anger will be vented out on those we care about, loved ones, children, pets, and the like.  If we wish to avoid being cruel and abusive towards those whom we love, and those who will be damaged by the poop we bring into our lives by responding to the poop in our own lives, breaking the cycle of abuse and violence requires us to develop a good attitude so that we do not do unto others what others have done unto us.  Being motivated by one’s desire to avoid hurting or causing pain to others, people or animals, or even damage to property, is a noble motivation.

Whatever one’s motivation is, though, the important thing is that maintaining a good attitude is vital if one wishes to avoid multiplying the negative aspects of life.  The fact that there is so much that is poopy in our existence is the reason why such matters have to be dealt with, if at least implicitly, and they would be less necessary and burdensome matters if the default solution of people to life’s troubles was something other than to pass along that trouble to someone else or something else that is within one’s authority and influence.  We cannot choose whether we will have to deal with unpleasant, painful, embarrassing, or abusive matters in life.  Indeed, what makes life poopy is the extent to which our existence is impacted by the behavior of others and the harsh nature of the reality which we inhabit.  What is within our control, though, is what we do about it.  Both the negative externalities we make other people deal with—the poopiness of their existence insofar as it relates to us—and the attitude we have towards life and its troubles are within our control and responsibility.  How well or poorly we handle that responsibility determines the measure of people that we are.

[1] Speaking personally, I have chosen to express my own feelings through the means of literature and music.  Others may choose art or some other creative endeavor, and though there are some people who can be bothered by the disturbing elements that are included in the art of those who have suffered traumatic experiences and seen great evil in their lives, it is vastly to be preferred to work through such feelings by means of artistic expression than by means of inflicting those evils upon others, which happens all too often.