John Dryden wrote, “Beware the fury of a patient man.” Indeed, this statement has much more depth than seems at a superficial level. The violence that happened in Ludhiana (for those who don’t know…Ludhiana is a city in Punjab, India) recently was a perfect instance of the pent-up anger being spilled out on roads. Very often it happens that we continue to suffer in silence. We make it a habit of not speaking up for ourselves even when it is the most essential. When we allow ourselves to be exploited, it is only then that seeds of fury are sown in our hearts. A phrase that is commonly used in English is ‘the calm before the storm’. When we keep stored our ill-feelings or justified anger or our voices of protest against the wrong-doings, we are making the ground for an imminent storm.
The poor protest because they have been deprived of what they deserve. They are exploited only because they are poor and don’t have enough resources. The division between the haves and have-nots has been continuously widening in Ludhiana. This accounts for the increase in the crime rate. I say this because crime too has a psychological dimension to it. And it is because of the psychological influence that the analysis of a particular violent protest can be analyzed. If we allow the strong to exploit us then we are giving them the license to do so always. And we are pained only when the exploitation is turned into a habit and we are reduced to mere helpless victims.
In life we have to stand up for ourselves. It is ourselves only who have to defend our self-respect. Otherwise people would always take us for granted and we would be left nowhere…with nothing to protect and nothing to own. So rather than giving a vent to your anger in the form of fury at one go …give it out in bits, that is, by taking a firm stand whenever required and whenever time demands so. This would make things all the more simple and you will be assured a bit smoother sailing in life…we can’t have a perfectly smooth ride after all!!!