Anger is the way of the fools; the street-smart knows that anger does not sell. Yet the man on the street is angry more than once a day, and ends up even more miserable. Is there a way out of being angry? Yes, there is. The bottom-line of all anger is that what we think or say or do is not as we ‘want’ it to be. And often our wants are unreasonable. I want my child to get 100 per cent in Arithmetic and when she does not, I get angry. My wife wants me to come home early as promised and when I don’t she gets angry. My boss wants me meet, what I think is, an impossible target, and when I can’t he gets angry. You go to a hotel and when your soup is served cold, you get angry.
But then is there a way out of this. It has been my experience that anger can be managed by managing our expectations. A philosophical outlook towards life and towards others is the starting point. That I know is not easy and it also takes a lot of time. There is however a short-cut: the breath. When we are angry, our breath becomes fast and irregular. By practicing simple yogic breathing exercises everyday, we forge new habits of ease and calmness. Over time, being calm becomes our second nature. Years ago, my temper tantrums were very destructive. At one point they landed me big trouble. That shock set me into the repair mode. On the advice of my grandmother, I turned to breathing exercises or what is popularly called ‘pranayama’. That helped me above all else to become calm. Try it. I know it works!
