Third World Problems.

When someone says this to you, a clear picture enters your head immediately. People that are hungry and need to eat. People that are without shelter and clothing that need something as simple as shoes. Things that kill people that really shouldn't, like diarrhea. 

First World Malaise.

This idea is a bit more abstract to connect with. First world malaise is a term I use for things that people in first world countries could ever really face. Let me tell you, as someone that lives and works in Los Angeles, I see people who only know the "stress" of first world malaise.

You don't have to be wealthy to be someone that deals with first world malaise all the time. Here's an example of first world malaise that I deal with that really should be a non-issue. What should I have for lunch?

When I'm sitting in my office, I always end up spending a couple of hours before lunch thinking about where I want to get food. I weigh through my different options to figure out what will fill my craving. Sometimes, I don't know where I want to go so I just give up and choose randomly.

Step back for a second and read that last paragraph. While this sounds like a huge ordeal, it's really not. I'm "struggling" with figuring out where I need to eat. This is really a true embarrassment of riches. The problem is really ridiculous if you really think about it because while I can't decide at which place to eat, there are people that struggle just to find something to eat. It's the issue with first world malaise.

One of the biggest dangers of first world malaise is that it makes us forget the real problems that many people in the world have to deal with. It makes us numb to the rest of the world.

Deciding what to have for lunch is just one example. There's plenty of others: What kind of coffee should I drink? How should I wear my hair? Which pair of shoes do I put on.

But you're smart. You get the idea. Do you have any examples of first world malaise?

My favorite example that I heard someone actually say yesterday: Which assistant do I tell to get my mail?

If there's one thing I'm an expert at, it's being bad at romantic relationships. I've had way too many "serious" girlfriends than someone my age should. It's always because I fall for the same mistakes every time. The biggest mistake of those is ignoring one of the major rules of life: People Get Ugly Over Time.

True love dictates that when you meet the perfect person, you'll fall more and more in love with them everyday. For awhile, this happens in every relationship. Things could never get better because you are learning all of the great things about them everyday. But there comes a time when you stop learning about those great things and the only things left are bad things. And thus enters the ugly.

This rule is true not just of romantic relationships but of people in general. For example, I've met plenty of people that I thought were gorgeous bombshells. However, as I got to know them more, they grew more and more unattractive. 

My theory is that you begin to acclimate to a person's physical attractiveness. I'm not saying that physical attraction isn't important in a relationship. What I am saying is that overtime, it becomes a non-issue. 

The good news about this is that the flip slide of this is true. People who are unattractive begin to grow more attractive over time. You may not notice someone right away because they are "average" or "unattractive," but the more you get to know them, the more attractive they become.

But even then, that growing attraction will eventually die as you finish learning all of the good things about them. Sorry, it's the cynicism inside of me. 

While this may sound cynical, I actually do believe in true and romantic love. As in, eventually, I will find someone out there that will not grow ugly over time. I believe that someday I'll be able to be with someone that makes me want them more every day.

But ironically, that may be my biggest problem. Maybe I should stop believing in true love.