Welcome to the 'jungle' of modern life!

A shrill scream welcomed me in the morning as I entered the ladies compartment of the Delhi metro. Unknowingly I had stepped onto someone's foot, and the nasty look which I received from the 'victim' convinced me I had committed a grave crime.

After a lot of apologies, I moved on, but the woman looked stricken throughout the journey. Even with my heartfelt apology she kept looking over with pointed rude looks and made me feel really guilty for an unintended mistake. As I travelled down the noisy lanes, pondering over the hundreds of little thoughts that were in my sub-conscious, several queries popped into my head. Topping the list was the question - 'Why do people react so much?'

Let's face it, every day we all come across such situations and sometimes are a part of these petty fights maybe on the roads, in rickshaws, in the metro or other places. Life in a noisy metropolitan city has become more like a jungle. We are ready to pounce on each other any moment.

But the question remains the same, why do we argue so much? Have small insignificant fights become a routine affair for us? Is pessimism in the air?

Yes. We all do it. Be it, fighting for a rupee with the autowala, an extra chilly from the sabziwala, pushing everyone to grab a seat in the metro, honking on roads in a traffic jam.

Almost every day in the newspapers we read that Mr X shot Mr Y as they had a fight over a car parking space; a student committed suicide as he/she failed or scored less and many other such depressing news. Is it worth dying – losing your life - for such trivial issues?

It is true that negative or bad experiences occur often and are sometimes inescapable. Everyone is afflicted with it at some point of time. Does that mean that all of us should make impatience and anger seep deep in our psyche, making us abusive and unkind?

I feel we have lost a basic virtue called 'Patience' – a gem our elders imbibed in us during our childhood. Remember, how as a child you used to offer your seat to an elder the moment you saw them, you said thanks for small little favours. Have we grown up to much that we have turned into uncivilised animals ready to pounce on anything or anyone which displeases us?

Considering the current world scenario which is plagued by innumerable vices, most of us think that 'patience' is for losers! Though growing up, we were taught that it was a virtue, but did we ever bother to ponder as to why we were taught so?

We were taught so as the more patient we become, the more we are at peace with ourselves.

Remember, in the fable of the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise won the race as he was positive, confident and sure-footed.

We have to precondition our mind each day to deal with situations in a more positive, and if possible a humorous way. It is indeed easy, easy to be happy. It is we who make it harder.

Every day, as you wake up it is you who has to make the choice – whether you will be bowed down by life's little disappointments and be a pessimist or will you open heartedly take life as it comes and embrace it with a smile.

As Robert Louis Stevenson has rightly said,“Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all”.