A fork in an angry, violent road...
I vividly remember stepping onto the sidewalks of Philadelphia and strolling to the fence where I usually locked my bike and finding... nothing.
I stood there, stupefied. Wondering if I had just stashed it somewhere else... but I hadn't. A small section of severed chain link exposed my fatal error, and my bike was gone.
All that remained, was rage.
Sweet, sweet rage... powerful enough to grant temporary superhuman abilities, only without providing anywhere productive to channel them.
It's what drives young men to assault drywall. Because drywall is everywhere, but to catch a thief... now that is a rare thing.
So when this guy happens to see the thief casually riding his bike down the road... he gleefully takes matters into his own hands.
The vengeance... is satisfying.
(Also that thief collapses like one of those goats that can't handle being startled).
Several devastating butt-drops ensue...
But is it always so cut and dry?
Hey, that guy has my bike = That guy must endure my wrath?
I now offer a completely different way to handle the exact same situation.
This second video actually made me tear up a bit... because it makes me aware of one of my greatest shortcomings.
EMPATHY.
All emotions are a choice. You can choose rage, or you can choose to 'let it go'. You can choose to punish, or you can choose to forgive.
This guy found the dude who had his stolen bike, and he let him continue to borrow it.
Listen to the dialogue:
"Dude, I bought this bike for $10 so I would have a way to get to and from work."
Immediately, you can see a change in the man whose bike had been stolen:
"Well, I can't give you this bike, but if you give me your contact info, you can borrow it until I can get you a different bike."
This guy should feel a far greater pride and satisfaction through this act of kindness than could ever be afforded by violence... or by vengeance. He is a good person. I would rather be a good person than The Punisher... any day.
Life isn't easy. People need to work. It's hard to even make WORK work sometimes... and this 'thief' was probably offered a cheap bike from the dude who actually stole it.
Just a guy trying to get to work... right? But who knows?
There are going to be a lot of crossroads in life which trigger powerful emotional responses. Keep in mind that YOUR EMOTIONS ARE A CHOICE... and you can usually take some time to think about the appropriate response.
Sometimes, folks need to catch a beating. After all, punching and kicking people is my only marketable skill.
But EMPATHY actually makes the world a better place.
Have a fantastic weekend.
-Trav