Anger and Resentment
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Anger and resentment have a chain reaction – you get angry and then you resent; resentment will then turn to anger again. Either you are angry with somebody or you are angry with yourself. You may be angry with somebody else but then, as soon as your anger fades, you resent yourself and feel, “How could I lose my temper like that?” Just get rid of resentment. Anger is part of your life. If you take away a toy from a small child, he yells and shouts, but is normally the next instant. Similarly, you get angry but the next moment brings the smile back to your face. Now, what do you do when someone behaves very rudely with you?
Get upset
React rudely back
Get frustrated
Avoid the person or the situation
Blame the person
Preach to the person
None of these will in any way strengthen you.
Instead, see rude behaviour in this light:
It indicates the intensity of their commitment
It indicates the amount of stress and insensitivity
It projects the upbringing of the person
It indicates a behavioural pattern
It shows a lack of knowledge
It shows a lack of observation of one’s own mind and its sensations
It shows your behaviour to avoid
It strengthens your mind
It unconditions the love that you are
The next time when someone is rude to you, make sure you don’t get upset. Just give back a broad smile. If you can digest the rudeness, nothing whatsoever can shake you.
