Every once and a while, you may find yourself in the presence of an individual that has become consumed with anger. In an effort to avoid their own internal struggles that are clearly seen from the outside, they will take everything out on those around them—casting blame upon anything that moves. You may see them as completely absurd or apparently living in a different dimension.
Their poisonous, vitriolic speech and actions will boil your blood to the point that you may feel as if you’re going to have a stroke. The reaction… ask yourself when feeding the demon what it produces has ever returned the results you had hoped for. Empathy and sympathy do go a long way. Though, that path is usually more difficult to succeed in and may last a prolonged time, it should be approached as an important trial of an individual’s understanding of the external world and one’s self.
It seems as though we are naturally inclined to react in certain ways. Anger receives anger. Happiness receives happiness. Etc… Our almost-predetermined reactions tend to lead down the same road we have traveled over and over again. It’s a good idea to keep track of the paths you prefer to travel, and when you find yourself coming to that crossroads where you must choose between the familiar route that was always bumpy and rutted from hard rains of the past or going down another road less traveled and unfamiliar…make a choice.
The following is a short Buddha story that someone posted on Reddit. It’s a nice little reminder.
Buddha was walking into the city market one day and near the city entrance an old bitter man was sitting on a box glaring at Buddha, who carried a bright smile on his face. At the sight of him this old man started cursing Buddha up and down, left right and center, telling him how pretentious he was, how much better he thought he was and how he did nothing worthy of the air he breathed in this world. But Buddha simply smiled and kept on walking to the market to get what he needed.
The Next day Buddha returned to the market and once again that old man was there, this time his cursing intensified, screaming and yelling at Buddha as he walked by, cursing his mother, cursing his father and everyone else in his life.
This went on for the rest of the week and finally as the Buddha was leaving the market the man came up to him, as his curiousity had simply gotten the best of him. “Buddha, every day you come here smiling and every day I curse your name, I curse your family and everything you believe in” the old man says ” but every day you enter this city with a smile knowing that I await you with my harsh tongue, and everyday you leave through the same entrance with that same smile. I know by speaking to you now that you are not deaf, why do you keep on smiling while I do nothing but scream the worst things I can think of to your face?”
Buddha, with the same smile still on his face looks at the old man and asks “If I were to bring you a gift tomorrow morning all wrapped up in a beautiful box would you accept it?” to which the old man replies “Absolutely not, I would take nothing from the likes of you!”. “Ah ha” the Buddha replies “Well if I were to offer you this gift and you were to refuse then who would this gift belong to?”. “It would still belong to you of course” answers the old man. “And so the same goes with your anger, when I choose not to accept your gift of anger, does it not then remain your own?”