Reaction Vs Response

Learn how to deal....

Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. I wondered
if this was the cockroach's response to all the glory that was spoken
about it!

She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and
trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately
trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as
everyone in her group got cranky to what was happening.
The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the
group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the
drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.

In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The
waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the
cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed and
threw it out with his fingers.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind
picked up a few thoughts and started wondering!

Was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior?

If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to
perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the
inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the
cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realized even in my case then, it is not the shouting of my mom/brother/sister/nephew or
my boss that disturbs me, but its my inability to handle the
disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

Its not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability
to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.

More than the problem, its my reaction to the problem that hurts me.

The Take-Away :

The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

We should not react in life, we should always respond. Reactions are  always instinctive whereas responses are always intellectual.