RESPOND NOT REACT
Many a times in life we find ourselves in situations where we have spoken to someone in a fit of rage, but later regret our impulsive reaction. Working in a company, I had a lot of discussion with our clients which sometimes led to arguments with no end yet I stuck to my resolve of not losing my calm.
There is a vast difference between response and reaction. A reaction to a situation is a spontaneous reply without any thought given to it while response is a mature reply after deliberate thoughts on it. Hence, it’s important for us to not shout immediately and shield ourselves from any awkward situation. Reaction is usually filled with negativity and abundance of anger while response is a bundle of positivity. So let’s pledge not to react but respond to any and every situation. If we continue to stick to our resolve of not reacting then we can be normal even in the most abnormal situations thereby we can even win those situations. We must control our urge to revert in the same manner by speaking bad words etc., to the person who is arguing with us.
Buddha was abused many times over trivial issues, but he handled them in a manner that the abusers not only realised their wrong acts, but had to change their behaviour for good. The Buddha, when abused, used to say: “OK. You are abusing me, but I don’t take your abuses, and I won’t get angry. So, the abuses are back with you”! If we can do this then we can easily win any situation without being the victim of the situation. Try this and live your life peacefully.