I was walking along the sidewalk today and across the quad were a group of individuals near a small card table. They were asking pedestrians to sign a petition, and a number of pedestrians had already taken up clipboards to do just that.
The scene seemed innocuous so I continued on, but when I was a good distance away I heard a man begin to scream. I heard the ire in the tone of his voice. I turned around and noticed that his screams were directed at the small group around the card table. He was screaming epithets mixed with biblical quotes. I took notice of this scene because it was loud and disruptive, and I wasn’t the only one who did.
The group at the table was quiet, staring at the man as he went on his verbal rampage. His ire seemed to be sating itself like a hurricane feeding off warm waters, and I wondered if anyone at the table was fearful of possible violence. The potential was evident.
Eventually the man stopped screaming and walked away, an indication that he was someone who had stopped at the table. I continued to my destination, but I kept wondering why this man allowed himself to get angry; why he couldn’t let go of the emotion in light of the fact that no one was bothering him. He made the choice to stop after all. He could have ignored it and walked away.
The more I thought about this man’s reaction the more I was able to remember what came out of his screams. A large part of his words related to the Bible. How much was actually verbatim I don’t know, but his fervor seemed illogical and irrational. The more he screamed the more upset he became and it seemed unreasonable. He made the decision to stop and inquire, and even if he hadn’t wouldn’t his life have been more at peace had he simply said, “no” to any request and walked on?
Our lives will encounter pain, angst, even discomfort. At times these moments will be unexpected, but when they are avoidable, when they can be foreseen, why not remember this? Avoid. Decline. Walk away.
The man who screams seems unable to control his anger, and anger uncontrolled leads to irrational thought, irrational behavior, and a spirit deprived of more than simple understanding.
Copyright © Tyler Gant 2009
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