The way to react

We get disturbed once in a while. To what extent we are disturbed directly depends on how intolerant we are to the environment in which we are living.

We get disturbed once in a while. To what extent we are disturbed directly depends on how intolerant we are to the environment in which we are living.

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Behavior of people in such situations differs from man to man.

For example, a few snap back instantly, few start shouting, a few seethe with un-controllable anger, which gets manifested in the form of some, abuses and even assault at times.

It is also too much to expect most of us to be like Socrates, who even after having been treated with a bucket of ice cold water over his head by his ill-tempered wife in the

presence of his friends and admirers, had the capacity

to project the incident as an act of timely first aid by his

caring wife who “had come to know” that his head had become very hot consequent to a long talk he had delivered.

Nor we can be like Sant Tukaram who after having been hit with a sugar cane on the head by his wife replied wittingly to her that she saved him from taking the trouble of breaking it into two pieces, one for each of them.

Then what to do? An incident from Buddha’s life has the answer.

Once, while moving with his disciples, the Buddha asked one of them to bring water from a nearby pond only to be told by his disciple that the water was muddy.

He asked his disciple to wait and then get it. This time water was clear. Buddha told his disciple that last time when he went the horse cart had just passed, leaving the water in the pond turbulent and muddy.

Similarly, when confronted with such provocations in day-to-day life, withdraw your self for sometime or engage yourself in some other activity. Act when you feel that the tempers have already cooled.

It can save us from many unsavory situations; and above all from the bout of anger, which harms us, first and then others.