I had been for the Sunday mass and the priest happened to talk about anger and illness. One line stood out in that sermon; “What gives you strength to reduce the anger?” That’s how a thought lingered on my mind and hence I’m sharing it with you guys.
It’s July 2018. Time is running faster than Usain Bolt ever could. I can just remember thinking about my new year’s resolution like it was just a week ago. Anyway, living in Mumbai, the pace of life is on full acceleration. People are hustling and bustling from north to south just to make ends meet. I have noticed something else that has been accelerating along with our fast paced life. That element is Anger!
Yes, our understanding level has been so fragile lately that everyone around us takes a lot of effort to stay happy but can get angry on the drop of a hat. There can be many reasons and possibilities which can justify this anger. But instead of letting it out in a dignified way, anger has a way of turning you into a savage who is dressed up well and is literate enough to use cuss words in different languages.
Some times when an event takes place, the outcome gives us pain and hurt, we react and the outburst can be civil or not. There is also an event when you just get angry for no reason or for a reason which is not worth being angry about.
How do you tackle that situation?
How do you get out of that negative zone?
What gives you strength to not be angry and think of it in a calm mind?
Let me tell you what I do:
I get angry very quickly. If some event had to take place, I’d think of how to get payback. How I would make them pay and one day they’d wish that I would forgive them. I’d put myself as a hero who is in pain and depict them as villains who have wronged me.
But then, it’s a habit I have always followed. I try thinking from the other’s perspective and also how a third party would react to this. Almost 90% of the times, I come out of my anger phase very quickly. I laugh on the stupid thoughts I had few moments ago. I actually realize that had I gone ahead and given those people a piece of my mind, the relation would develop a crack. I thank the lord and the 1% of good consciousness in me that allowed me to think before jumping.
Here’s what I do in such situations. What do you do in situations like these? What gives you strength to not be angry?