DO NOT PROVOKE ANGER

On May 29, 1990, Delhi newspapers carried a sobering story. A man named Anant Ram, 35 years old, lived in the slums of Sudarshan Park (Moti Nagar). He was addicted to alcohol. Without money for liquor, he asked his wife for cash. She refused. An argument followed between husband and wife. Then, in the words of  The Times of India (May 29, 1990):

“The accused, a habitual drunkard, was enraged when his wife refused to give him money he asked for. Giving way to his tantrums, he dashed his son against the floor, thus killing him then and there.”

The accused, an alcoholic, lost control when his wife refused to give him the money he wanted. In his rage, he picked up his two-year-old son (Arjun) and threw him to the ground several times. As a result, the child died instantly.

When a person is in anger, at that moment he is under the control of the devil. In such a state, he can commit any inhuman act—even the merciless killing of his own child.

This is a weakness present in every human being. In such situations, the only way to live safely and successfully in society is to avoid provoking others to anger. With tact and good sense, one should try not to push others into that emotional state where they become tools of the devil and resort to mad acts like the one in this story.

The evils of anger and revenge are not limited to any one community. They are found in human nature everywhere, regardless of the nation or country to which a person belongs. Anger and revenge should be treated as human problems, not as issues of race or religion.