Monday, August 4, 2008

Knowing the Moment

Almost everybody has experienced uttering harsh sarcastic words against somebody when losing temper but afterwards regretted saying those words. How we wish to bring back that moment so that we can correct what we had said or take control of ourselves and just kept silent. Or, how we wish that we said “I Love You”, to the other person or hugged him or said some kindly words more often at the right moment, but no, that person is already gone, we cannot bring him back at that moment. Knowing the moment when to act or not to act, to speak or to keep silent is a virtue we must learn. When the right moment comes, we should act before it goes away.

People are often discouraged when repeatedly met with failures. What we almost never realize is that time and again we are making the right effort but at the wrong moment. We have to have patience. Any premature action can often spoil everything.

How often are we confronted with angry, scornful or ungrateful responses from persons we wish well when giving advices during the low moments of their lives. When everyone’s threshold of irritability is low, when a person can’t stand criticism or good advice, wait for the right moment to speak.

What is more annoying than to be interrupted in mid-anecdote? When a person is talking wait for the right moment to interject the views of your own. Interrupting a speaker often leaves the speaker hanging uncomfortably in mid-sentence and put the train of conversation off the track. And often times, this leads to undesirable arguments.

When we feel anger, fear, hurt, jealousy or resentment we should never act or to speak. As Aristotle once said, “To be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way is not easy”. Wait till our emotion has cooled down, then that is the right moment to act.

No comments: