How Not to Get Angry

Today someone got very upset. But I smoothed it over instantly.

Why do we get upset? Because we feel that the other person wronged us. Because of him, I’m late. Because of her, I missed the bus. Because of him, I lost my job. Because of her, my car has a dent.

So how can we avoid being angry? By acknowledging reality.

I told the person who got upset, that it was Divine Providence. I tried to do what he wanted, but I didn’t realize what was involved. Now that I know what’s involved, I’ll know what to do next time.

That’s it. That’s the whole approach. 1. To explain that G-d controls everything, and I meant well. 2. To acknowledge what went wrong, in order to learn for the future.

Sometimes we need to reprimand someone for doing something wrong. But that’s to teach the person. But as far as what happened, there’s no reason for resentment. The person didn’t do it; G-d did. (And everything that G-d does is for our ultimate benefit, even if we don’t understand why right now, one day we will understand and appreciate it.)

The Torah teaches us how to live pleasant and peaceful lives. The above is but one example.