The long and short of a short temper

   "The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk" says Joseph Joubert., When anger roars, peace reverses its course. The power of anger kills the reasons for anger. Short temper goads a person to jump into hasty conclusions whether the conclusions are right or wrong. A quick-tempered person quickly loses his image, however good he is, and whatever be the causes that triggered his temper to burst. 

   One's short temper might have been exposed to reasons such as discourtesy from others, especially youngsters, or falsehood, or ingratitude, or injustice. But all these erroneous reasons would be wholly immersed in a sudden burst of anger, that unduly victimizes someone good at heart, but naive in reflecting his goodness.

   The evils of life are quite often capable of hunting down the emotions of every just person, with a heart full of love, but a mind expecting recognition of the undemanding love, blended with submission and humility. However, when submission and humility are taken for a ride by an incident of insult, an inbuilt resistance in the form of self- respect, arouses anger at short notice, and instantly short temper is born. 

  If submission and humility surpass self-respect, and silence prevails, the image of goodness survives at least for the self-satisfaction of the individual. Instead, if short temper repeats the tale of insult, it results in breakup of relationship as friends and family members.

  One may not be greedy, envious, treacherous or mean-minded. But still if one is short-tempered, it nullifies the absence of the preceding evils in one's mind frame. Backstabbing is a common occurrence in friendship, family relationship, business promotions and politics, though the last in the list is the first in harboring backstab modules. But in all these cases of backstabs, we could notice the wilful suppression of short temper because betrayal and short temper cannot travel hand in hand.

  According to Swami Chinmayanandha "an emotional person reacts. An emotionally balanced person responds". But Sir Isaac Newton says, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". Even a renowned poet like William Wordsworth has two definitions of poetry. One of his definitions says, "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". The other definition is "Poetry is emotions recollected in tranquility". Reflection of short temper also depends upon two things. How a person normally is, and what the situation that triggered his short temper was.However, diplomacy is an easy exit way from the highways of short temper.

  Two theories will go a long way in preserving the union of minds. Wherever peace prevails a temperate mindset with unquestioning submission to silence, is the most pragmatic procedure in maintaining healthy human relationship. On the other hand, wherever pretention, untruth and injustice are obvious, anger has to arise at least to create a balance between the harming wrongs and beaming right waves.

   No revolution would have been possible in the world, against overall or exclusive exploitation, if sensible anger had not been registered against inhuman practices and foul patterns of behavior. Anger is only an ignition and not a long-term solution. But without ignition there can be no drive towards breaking the diabolic blocks. Anger without hatred expires at short notice, as short temper. But motivated anger coupled with hatred, is like malignant cancer and has to be surgically done away with. To conclude, the long and the short of short temper is that it is both cranky and cathartic. 

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