THE END OF ANGER IS THE BIRTH OF COMPASSION

 




“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls;

the most miserable have become

the most compassionate.” 

- Kahlil Gibran

 

A while ago, I was talking to an elderly woman on phone. Though she lives with her family, she sounded a lot ‘alone’…

I said, ‘a lot alone’…

It took a long time for me to know how different are ‘being lonely’ and ‘being alone’…

For all of us, ‘being lonely’ is how it starts… Our daily conflicts, disappointments, regrets, misunderstandings, fights, struggles, and lack of trust and love –- yes, that’s where the loneliness sets into our hearts… We resist, we blame, we argue, we live in self-pity and denial… and we keep living in that state till we realize the futility of all this –- living in victimhood.

Lack of trust and anger slowly turn into poison. Frankly, till we do not realize it –- how poisonous our heats have turned –- there is no way we can realize how ‘being lonely’ is different from ‘being alone’…

So, the elderly woman was telling me, “At this stage of my life, being peaceful is more important to me than being right. I cannot change a lot many things, and a lot many people, in my life… I have stopped waiting for my Life to change and realized how my life is waiting for me to change.”





Several years ago, I had published a book by the title – ‘WHY THE SUN BURNS’. This was a book of my reflections… Notes. In one of them, I had written:

“I have no intention to glorify anger;

anger is intensity, and intensity burns…

Even God spoke from a burning bush.”

In another note, I had written:

“The light doesn’t emerge

unless the candle burns.

It’s not my wish that I should suffer

to spread a little goodness around.”

And, this one was my favourite:

“The end of anger is the birth of compassion.”

Has my anger ended?

No Sir… I am still alive… Anger returns again and again… and, I keep feeling it, expressing it… and, I get over it…

Yes Sir, to accommodate compassion…

And, how else can I choose peace?

Life waits for me to realize it, and change from inside…




 

GERALD D’CUNHA


Pic.: Pixabay 1. GoranH  2. erwinbosman

Video: Reflections of Life

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