Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
James Matthew Barrie once said, 'Temper is a weapon that we hold by the blade'. This quote comes to mind when I think back upon the events of the past week.
One that really stands out happened only a few nights ago when my friends and I were revising our course materials in a famous coffee shop.
Knowing Bahrain, one should accept a variety of people use such coffee houses; from those who use the corner seat to study or read a book to those reading the Sunday papers and even those who have a 'girls' night out' at such places.
As I was sitting reading my text material, I noticed that some Filipina girls were having a tad bit too much fun. Of course I was bothered by the noise they were creating and I chose to ask them to quiet down a bit.
Time passed and I learned to deal with their noise, however one other customer in particular did not. The customer was a Bahraini and he and his wife were clearly disturbed by the group of Filipina girls.
But, instead of choosing to talk with them, he picked up his cold coffee drink and hurled it towards the girls. Thank God the drink was one which was iced and not boiled otherwise that man could have caused serious damage.
I realise that what I next say may be controversial but I must state the truth as I see it. I know, deep down, that were the girls Bahraini or from the Gulf region, the Bahraini customer would not have gone to the extreme of a physical attack upon the girls.
I say this because I am both Bahraini and Filipino and have the experience of coming from both sides of these cultures.
Anger and temperament can have the best of us at times; they can control us completely for the better and for the worse as well. Barrie said that we hold temper as a weapon by its blade; meaning that we can control where exactly that blade attacks.
I do seriously hope that words of wisdom can be taken from this column this week, and that we think twice before allowing such anger and ill-temperament to elicit violence and bad judgment from us.
