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| MorgueFile |
John stopped by the store to pick up a couple items, and when he came out there was a motorcycle cop writing a parking ticket. He went up to the police officer and said, “Come on buddy, how about giving a guy a break?”
The policeman ignored him and continued writing the citation. So John called him a stupid idiot. The cop glared at him and started writing another ticket -- a citation for bald tires.
John made disparaging comments about the officer’s paternity. When the second citation was finished the cop smiled and began writing a third.
This went on for about 20 minutes. The more John abused him, the more tickets he wrote. John didn't care. His car was parked around the corner.
Anger Management Tip #1: Don’t take it personally.
True story: I learned that a woman in Arkansas (USA) called her local police department. She asked about the penalty for fighting. The sergeant told her that she could be charged with assault and battery. The fine was $100.
“Oh, I want to beat up my sister,” she said, “and I wanted to see if I can afford it.”
Anger Management Tip #2: Count the cost.
In the Japanese town of Yamanakako, visitors will pay hefty sums simply for the chance to vent their anger in Yoshie Ogasawara’s “Relief Room,” the main attraction of her four-story fun house. There, stressed-out business persons, jilted lovers and enraged spouses can smash a large porcelain vase, hurl ceramic ware into a soapstone peach tree from China and break a few ceramic clowns in an attempt to express their pent-up rage.
Anger Management Tip #3: Don’t break your own stuff.
Anger Management Tip #4 might be your best one, though. Tell It.
William Blake famously wrote:
I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe. I told it not, my wrath did grow.
It’s true that anger must be “told” to be stilled. And if it is not possible to talk directly with the offending person, find a good listener. Sometimes, just “getting it out” is enough.
Further, don’t wait long to tell it, since unacknowledged anger is a malignant tumor. As ancient biblical wisdom teaches, “Don’t let the sun set on your anger.”
Anger Management Tip #4: Tell it. And if you tell it well, that may be the only management tip you need to know.
-- Steve Goodier
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