It was a quiet evening when Kavin hailed an auto-rickshaw to reach the bus station to visit his grandfather. The driver, Mr. Mani, was a very calm and disciplined man.
As they traveled, Mani drove with great care, following every traffic rule and keeping a steady speed. Kavin was enjoying the breeze through the window. Suddenly, a speeding car zoomed ahead and swerved abruptly, stopping right in front of the auto, blocking its path. It was clearly the car driver's fault for cutting in suddenly.
Instead of apologizing, the car driver began shouting furiously at Mani. "Hey! Are you blind? Why are you driving so slowly? You're blocking the way!" he yelled, his face red with anger.
Mani didn't say a word. He simply waited for a moment and then continued his journey smoothly. Kavin, puzzled by the driver's patience, leaned forward and asked, "Sir, why didn't you get angry? He was so rude to you, even though he was the one who made the mistake!"
Mani smiled gently and replied, "You see, Kavin, some people carry a lot of negativity and frustration inside them. It's like they have a bag of trash in their hearts. When they feel upset, they try to dump that trash onto whoever is nearby. If we catch that trash, our own hearts will become dirty too. The best thing to do is to let it pass by like a gust of wind and focus on our own path."
Kavin realized that staying calm was a much greater strength than shouting. Mani dropped Kavin safely at the station, leaving the boy with a valuable lesson.
Moral
Do not let the negativity and anger of others pollute your own peace of mind.
