Essays

Anger is one of the most devastating emotions that a person can have. When a person becomes angry, he loses his senses and can do things that normally he would not do. However, after the deed is done, it becomes a cause for regret.

I had an experience with a soldier when both of us became angry and said things we never should have said. It all started one day when the soldier's son, a little boy of six or seven, walked by my house and started throwing stones at my dog. Unfortunately for him, the front gate was open and my dog ran out and gave him a bite that drew blood. The boy ran home and the next thing I knew, his father, a big burly fellow, was at my gate demanding componsation. At that time I was a hot-headed youngster of fifteen and though I stood a whole head shorter than him, I never gave in an inch.  

In anger he uttered, "I'll kill your dog!"

Those words incensed me and I uttered, "I'll kill your son!"

The bursts of anger hung over us for a moment before he strode away fuming. I was equally angry and was ready to take anything he could give me, and give him back in return, with interest. Such was my madness, the blindness that anger brought tears to my eyes.

So I walked to the soldier's house- When he saw me coming, he came out to meet me. I knew that he was ready to start battle with me. Indeed he was about to punch me when I said "I'm sorry", Simple words, yet so effective, for it stopped his punch in mid-flight. I apologized to him for saying stupid things and to my surprise he apologized to me too. The tension changed to laughter. The animosity vanished like a purr of smoke. We shook hands and soon were talking like old friends, We remained friends till the day he was transferred.

From that incident I realized how dangerous anger can be. If we had persisted with our anger, I dread to think what the outcome would have been. I thank my mother for guiding me through this particularly explosive incident. Instead of letting anger run its full course, I transformed it into an opportunity to make peace. Anger gave way to mutual understanding and friendship. A little giving in on my part did the trick.

I have seen instances where anger is allowed to run wild. The consequences are never good. Sometimes the parties involved find out too late the folly of their actions. For example, once I saw a man losing his temper at a foodstall. For one reason or another, I saw him red-fared shouting at the stall-owner. Then he lashed out with one of his legs at the offending man. A heavy wooden chair stood between his leg and his intended victim and he ended up on the floor with a badly bruished chin. All we could do was to laugh at him. 1 wonder, how many of us would not get into the same situation as he did if we were angry enough.

The Japanese have a saying for anger: when you are angry, do not act; when you act, do not be angry. What this saying implies is that an act prompted by anger must be avoided. A short story will illustrate the point.

A samurai came home late one night. He stepped quietly into his house and was shocked to find a prone figure asleep beside his wife. In anger he drew his sword to kill his wife and her lover. But he remembered the above saying. So he sheathed his -sword and stepped quietly outside. Next ho noisily knocked on the door and re-entered the house, hoping to give the intruder a chance to escape. As he entered the house he saw his wife emerging form her room, followed by his own mother! What a shock he had. His mother had been sleeping in his wife's room to keep his wife company as there were many burglars around. The samurai was so relieved that he had not acted in anger.

I practice the above maxim whenever I can. It enables me to act cool-headedly. Acting without the veil of anger to blind my eyes prevents me from doing things that I will regret later. If you care to, try it for yourself and see how effective it is.