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Anger is difficult to control because when it appears, it largely incapacitates the very faculty needed to contain it ie a person’s objective thinking. If one can manage to give the offending matter due deliberation, however, how does one control anger when one’s original response remains the same?
If the infraction is between people who are in an important relationship, the offended party would be wise to put the incident in proper perspective by viewing it as part of a bigger picture.
In our daily lives, so much anger and anguish can be prevented if we adopt a broader outlook.
After completing the first step (described in my previous post) and ascertaining that indeed an action that logically warrants anger has transpired, it’s time to ask yourself the next question: “In one week, two weeks, from now, if I think back to this indiscretion, will I still be bothered? Will I still consider it consequential?” It is safe to say that for the vast majority of irritating moments, the answer will be no. What looks like a mountain now is almost certain to appear as a molehill when viewed through the rearview mirror.
And if you determine that the infraction is such that you will still be bothered about it in two weeks, then you must probe a bit deeper and ask yourself whether it merits endangering your relationship with, for example, your spouse, parent, sibling or close friend. Think of all the good times, the wonderful things they undoubtedly did for you and vice versa.
Does one foolishness erase all that?