"But
I Thrive on Drama!"
(Common Delusions
of a Drama Queen)
From Drama Queen
By Patrick Price
There are three major
misconceptions that hinder our readiness for drama-free living:
Myth #1:
Drama makes me stronger and it feels good.
Truth: Waking
up from a coma renews your zest for life too, but that doesn't mean
you should deliberately walk into traffic. Drama can feel
good at first. When everything goes haywire we feel an invigorating
adrenaline rush. "Recharged," everything seems focused. Our
enemies are marked; misjudgments are clear. But that's drama's inherent
deception. It's too easy to lose perspective when you're all worked
up. And what at first feels like a positive burst of energy rapidly
deteriorates into something tiresome and disruptive. Never mistake drama
as a harmless additive -- the paprika of experiences -- because although
it may initially jazz up your life, it refuses to be anything less than
the main ingredient. And before you know it, drama is your life.
Myth
#2: Drama is really no big deal.
Truth: True,
but it becomes one. Drama is built on a foundation of minor things:
the nonreturned phone call, the slight misunderstanding, the demanding
job, or competition amongst friends. It's trivial stuff. But drama takes
these routine misgivings, plants them in a field of insecurity, and
allows them to vibrantly fester. Suddenly these same scenarios begin
to overwhelm your mindset until they eclipse everything good and all
sense of perspective is lost. A friend's absence becomes a personal
insult. A boss's sigh is irrefutable proof that he has it in for you.
Blockbusters' overdue charge goes from an irritation to a crime against
humanity. You become obsessed and just can't move on.
But soon everyone around you will. Just watch their initial sympathy
for your plight drain away, only to be replaced by apathy and avoidance.
Drama's a black hole few care to feed.
Myth #3:
Without drama, I wouldn't be living a full life.
Truth: Despite
popular belief, drama is not a prerequisite to today's cosmopolitan
living. In fact, without it you'd actually find more time
to live and enjoy all that's offered. Never underestimate drama's insatiable
need for our energy and attention. With it always on center stage, you'll
be left in the background -- a mere co-star in your own life. And it's
debatable who's got top billing. Suddenly, somehow, you've stopped being
a three-dimensional person with recognizable dreams and aspirations
and instead you've become that dreaded one-dimensional bag of grief
and tired tag-lines -- the drama queen.
Copyright ©
2001 Patrick Price.
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