Sometimes you feel like messing someone up. Enforcing your will and fear upon another person. Making them regret the day they ever decided to mess with you. But now I would rather hold myself back.
Self control is a major belief that I hold to myself and is major part of my everyday life. As a child after 9/11, I always was called names by other students. It ranged from things as simple as terrorist. To things as well thought out as sand nigger. I always went crazy when I heard these things. Getting into playground fights and hurting kids. I was a very pissed off kid. However kids never changed their attitudes towards me. They never gave me respect.
My dad and I always had conversations about these fights. We use to always talk about why people said bad things to me; when I personally never did anything to them. He said people are generally good, and that if they say bad things it’s mainly because they’re misinformed. He then went on to say that you have to set an example. And that if you fight with them. You only further prove their point. Through these talks with my dad I gained a better understanding of what self control was.
Now I have a different look on things. Instead of letting anger get the best of me. I talk to the person and give them the correct knowledge. Most of the time people acknowledge me telling them the right thing, sometimes they don’t. I personally don’t care whether they take it to heart or not. My only job is to create doubt in a person’s mind. So when they see things that are not true about Muslims or whoever. They can refer back to me, and say things like “I know a guy, he’s Muslim and he’s not like that.” And it doesn’t end there. That one person will then tell other people about what I said. And then more and more people will get to know the truth. Now, instead of me having to defend myself. Other people do it for me. And it all starts with self control.
Even though I try to keep myself under control. The same feeling to punish a guy for what they said to me or did to me does come sometimes. This belief is unique to me in that it’s a belief that has to be constantly maintained and practiced. Without practicing self control over and over again on a daily basis. You will lose the battle against anger. Now the only time I hit people is when I’m playing football; or when someone has intent to harm my family, friends, or me.
Self control can take various forms. There’s self control of the eye, the mouth, the ears, mentally and physically. While all of these kinds of self control are important. I take the physical aspect of self control the most seriously. Mainly because I am exposed to more physical aspects of self control than I am with the others. Self control has made me a better person, and not only that. It has helped me make others better. After all a great man once said “The strong man is not the one who is strong in wrestling but the one who controls himself in times of anger.”