Do you lose your temper when your physical pain level is increased?  An incident took place a local restaurant today that brought that question to mind.  It is so easy to lash out at perfect strangers that you will never see again because you are hurting.

Man number one was in pain and man number two was inconsiderate – it almost created a physical incident that would not have ended well for anyone.  Words were exchanged in the parking lot and once inside it continued with the over-worked waitress – someone else who was also possibly in pain.  She did not look well and consequently her professionalism was lacking. The anger escalated.

I had a tough week at work due to outside influences and sometimes found it difficult to be nice.  I came home and vented to someone who was as stressed as I was.  I quickly realized I had to check my irritation at the door because what I was feeling really had nothing to do with my co-workers and everything to do with other incidents.  I had to take a deep breath and step back.  It really wasn’t that bad when you looked at it from a distance.  Sometimes you can be too close to a subject.

It is so easy to forget you are not the only person who is hurting.  Not the only one with problems.  Anger begets anger and violence could be the end result if not held in check.  It is no wonder that we are a warring people who are quick to combat and slow to forgive when we are unable to keep our anger in check.

Is it because we are hurting that we want others to hurt as well – to make them feel as we do – or is it just because we forget how to be kind because of our own pain? Mankind has a long way to go.