A close friend sent me an article about the 90/10 principle which basically says that 10% of our life is made up of what happens and 90% is decided by how we react. We have no control over 10% of what happens to us but we do have control over our reactions. How true it is that our days are often ruined by our own doings that lead to unnecessary stresses, hurting others and losing friends.
Our wrath tends to be revengeful and punitive in essence, coloured by our self-interest and gratification of our impulsive desires. Someone once says that the difference between a beast and a human being is that a beast lacks the faculty of reason. It is unable to stand outside itself to consider itself and its actions. An animal responds to any stimulus instinctively without any interval for thought. It failed to put an interval of thought between the stimulus and the response. So when we react instinctively and act immediately, we are actually no difference compared to a beast. Sometimes just a 5-second interval between our thought and action is all it needs to determine the outcome of a situation.
A change of mindset is a must in order to control over our reactions. I find people who are inclined to spiritual things and practised those values they learnt such as loving-kindness, inner peace, inner strength, tolerance etc, are likely succeed in controlling over their impulses. As in all things, practice makes perfect and self-control will just come naturally. Knowledge without actions is futile. Our pride and self-centredness are the biggest threats to achieve this.
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