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I wonder what causes grumpiness in people. Is it their genetic makeup? Is it their circumstances? A combination of both?

As of this writing, I have been given the opportunity of performing night nurse duties to one of the young men in one of my Bible study groups who has been in the hospital now for five days. The guy in question (let's call him Sunny) is already in his 20s and on a regular basis -- when we're together -- I always see him carry a calm, mostly reserved demeanor... akin to my own.

Although Sunny sometimes throws around typical teenage banter with some of the guys in my small group, he is nevertheless a person whose character leans more towards the docile side of things.

So as I report for my hospital duty, I got greeted by a scenario that I would usually find awkward: a little family spat. Sunny was displaying signs of grumpiness: irritation with his mother who was just assisting him get around, and annoyance with his sister who came by to see him. I've never seen this behavior from Sunny before in the roughly five years I've known him.

Of course, during the span of half a decade that he spent sitting under my tutelage -- notwithstanding the other bonding moments we've invested in each other over the years -- I have never really lived with him on a 24/7 basis.

So either this was part of who he was (a part of him that I could not see on the day-to-day) or he was made grumpy by his situation, i.e. his hospitalization due to sickness and the pain he is currently suffering.

This isn't really a judgment on Sunny's character, but more of an observation and, more importantly, a question. Are we made grumpy by our situations? Or are situations just catalysts that bring to the surface what's already deep within us?

I wonder if I'd be grumpy, too, if I were put in a similar condition as Sunny. God knows people have always given unfavorable feedback about hospitals (and their food). What would my attitude be like if I go through worse?

I have always seen myself endure (like suck-it-up-and-wait-it-out kind of enduring) difficult circumstances in the last decade of my life. But will tougher scenarios bring out the best (or the beast) in me?