Burst 42 For the Young

What Impulses Can Do

Many of us act hastily and regret at leisure. An impulse rises within us with so much strength that we yield to it, often with hardly any resistance. Such a sudden inclination to act affects the quality of our life significantly. At times it can cause irreparable damage.

An external stimulus causes this impulse on some occasions. I have not at all planned, for example, to go out one evening, but two friends come along and say, “Hi, will you not join us for a walk?” I almost jump from my seat and say, “Of course, I am coming. How can you go without me?” What makes such a surge of emotion in us?

The cause could be internal also at other times. All of a sudden, I remember there is some nice eatable in a bottle at the kitchen and I rush to it leaving some important activity halfway. A flake of memory thus makes us take a sudden diversion.

Hardly anyone keeps away from pleasure in life. What we should consider is whether we are able to ‘delay’ gratification when the prospect of pleasing the senses presents before us.

So it is delaying – and not denying – which can make all the difference. No wonder ‘impulse control’ is counted among fifteen important factors that decide emotional maturity in a person. (Note 1)

“I can resist anything except temptation,” said the witty thinker Oscar Wilde in one of his works. Temptations and provocations are both like unexpected storms. It is indeed hard for most people to remain composed and restrain themselves from an aggressive behavior when certain provocation stirs hidden emotions in them. Some old frustration surfaces without an advance intimation and we explode in ways that surprise everybody including us.

Look before you leap. Exercise some control over impulses. Never mind your countless old mistakes. Start afresh now and be alert. You can sustain valuable relationships only through a steadiness of friendly, reasonable conduct. Unpredictable mood swings can put your friends, colleagues and others in an uncomfortable situation. Win them over (or win them back) by learning to not act impulsively.

Swami Chidananda

Monday, December 26, 2005