How Good Is Your Behavior?

Avoiding Rashness

At times, I find understanding resistance difficult. Naturally, exercising resistance is often beneficial. For example, refraining from doing harm to others or preventing myself from engaging in activities that would harm me pays great dividends to any good status I may have accrued. Still, I find many people who simply exercise resistance because they believe that forcefully retarding motion will allow them to benefit from a slow sifting through their potential outcomes in all encounters. Their ego always opposes conscious recall of anxiety-producing experiences.

I assume complete rashness of behavior would be the direct opposite of resisting and, most frequently, rashness does result in many regretful actions. But, impetuous behavior does surface as it springs from a sense of harm in a stimulus-response situation that quickly bypasses forethought and discretion. In such instances, I'm impelled--by a force that's far stronger, far more primal, than my rational adult mind--to strenuously defend myself. Or, sometimes, I attack whoever has (perhaps unwittingly) provoked me. Or, in a sudden state of urgency, I choose to hastily retreat from the situation altogether. Put in colloquial terms, "Someone has pushed all my buttons." I would be the first to admit I have a temper.

An animal-like response to stressful situations prevents positive resistance from surfacing and allowing reasonable, logical, and objective control. I find it difficult to desensitize myself from past experiences that have had negative meanings in my life. To calmly stand in the face of ridicule and evaluate appropriate reactions, much like preventing an instant feeling of self-intimidation by a bully, takes tremendous inner security. I must work on my patience to allow it to serve me best.

Is There a Reason for Quick Resistance?

Some situations can be insufferable, or so outrageous as to be intolerable to the most patient, understanding human. These problematic states are often described in comparative cliche's such as "more than flesh and blood can stand," or "enough to test the patience of a saint," or "enough to try the patience of Job." As human beings, all have been reduced to lashing out at problems when conditions become too stressful.

Yet, still, some wish to negate any immediate action in favor of continuing a seemingly endless negotiation for redress. Committees and individuals talk of solutions, plan tentative reactions, evaluate and re-evaluate outcomes, and eventually table all recommendations of action. The staleness sets in and the goodness deflates over time. Soon, people become disgruntled and stereotypically distrust public officials as everyone lines up on the proper side of the political fence. The honest feel indebted to following nothing in particular that will strike sparks because one tiny arc may stray and sting someone's posterior. And, of course, the greedy want nothing but more power and public face time.


Therefore, the resistance to change falls in watery marbles from a downpour of depressed, disgusted citizens until it washes away all good intentions. Then, any well-meaning officials wish just a little "rash" would have surfaced amidst the sleepy inactives whose heart once felt a very slight beat of potential change. But, by now, these folks are back in their hard shells.


Some people have soft, reflective talents that speak with contemplative, profound voices. Some people have loud, brooding talents what speak with edgy, pointed voices. Unfortunately, many people have inactive talents -- these residents do nothing at all to make a sound. Whoever comprehends that unlocking these resistant attitudes requires equal doses of soft and loud tactics will eventually cause a positive change in direction, but only after many repeated applications. 

"But I'll know my songs well before I start singin'
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall."  - Bob Dylan