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 behaviour 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 behaviour? 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 father
or my boss that disturbs me, but it’s my inability to handle the
disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. It’s 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, it’s 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.
