Look beyond the facade

I had a bad fight with my wife. And the worst part was that the reason was trivial. I wondered if there is any love in our marriage. There was no understanding and we had quarrels at the drop of a hat. I was really in a bad mood. I just noticed that I was late for office. As I sped through the empty colony road, a car abruptly stopped across my path. Since it was a narrow road, I can’t move ahead unless the car clears the path. I honked incessantly and when it broke my threshold, I jumped out of my car and walked to the car. Just as I approached the car, I observed something written on the rear windshield of the car. I slowed down to read what was written and when I read it, I calmed down and also felt guilty for being rude. The message read – “Physically challenged, please be patient.”
My whole mental dynamics changed in an instant. I gently walked to the driver who felt so embarrassed and nervous because of my shouting. When I looked at his frail face, I felt like a criminal for being so rude with a helpless person.
“It’s alright, sir. No hurry.” I pacified him and when he became calm, he slowly moved his car away from the path. As he drove away, I still stood transfixed. As I went back to drive, my mind was clouded with myriad of thoughts. I wondered how I reacted before I came to know the truth. What if I had not known the truth? I can’t imagine being a reason for someone’s pain. My thoughts seeped deeper and explored my inner self. Why was I behaving like that? It’s all because of my quarrel with my wife. Why was my wife who loved me all these days is so prone to pick a quarrel with me? Is she at fault? What could have triggered the change in her? Do I love her the way I used to love her before? I guess I’m arriving at some answers. I realised that I had not being able to pay attention to her needs. I had become so busy with my work that I failed to understand her problems. I, was, actually the reason for all the mess. I failed to find reason. I failed to look beyond the angry veil. The revelation changed my perception of the world around me. I wondered how unreasonable I had been with people because I failed to look beyond the facade. I remembered the many instances when I had picked a quarrel with people because of their flaws or my bad temper. Maybe they were going through a bad phase in life and I could have made it worse. Maybe understanding the possibility help me maintain calm and composure. By maintaining calm and composure, we are not only helping in creating a calm atmosphere, but also helps in maintaining inner peace. It not only helps us in maintaining our health, but also helps us maintain a healthy relationship with our family and friends.
Hope this story relates to many of us. We are busy with our professional challenges, but that shouldn’t deprive us of our ability to reason.