Don't React, Do Respond/ No one can hurt us

A very nice Life management lesson....

I was dining with some of my friends in a hotel. My friends and their wives were enjoying the dinner. Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on the wife of my close friend. I wondered if this was the cockroach's response to all the glory that was spoken about it! She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and trembling voice,she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group got cranky to what was happening. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm,composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed and threw it out with his fingers. Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behaviour? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies. I realized even in my case then, it is not the shouting of my wife or my boss that disturbs me, but its my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. Its not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me. More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that hurts me. Lessons learnt from the story: I understood, I should not react in life. I should always respond. The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always intellectual.     No One Can Hurt Us? ? Abraham Lincoln ? Motivational Story   On His First Day In office as President,  Abraham Lincoln Entered To Give His Inaugural Address, One Man Stood Up He Was A Rich Aristocrat. He Said " Mr Lincoln, You Should Not Forget That Your Father Used To make Shoes For My Family " And The Whole Senate Laughed, They Thought They Had Made A Fool Of Lincoln. But Certain People Are Made Of A Totally Different Metal. Lincoln Looked At The Man Directly In the Eyes And Said " Sir, I Know That My father Used To Make Shoes For Your Family, And There Will Be Many Others Here,   Because He made Shoes The Way Nobody Else Can. He Was A Creator. His Shoes Were Not Just Shoes, He Poured His Whole Soul Into Them. I Want To Ask You, Have You Any Complaint?? Because I Know How To Make Shoes Myself. If You Have Any Complaint I Can Make You Another Pair Of Shoes. But As Far As I Know, Nobody Has Ever Complained About My Father's Shoes. He Was A Genius, I am Proud Of My Father." The Whole Senate Was Struck Dumb. They Could Not Understand What Kind Of Man Abraham Lincoln Was. He Was Proud Because His Father Did His Job So Well That Not Even A Single Complaint Had Ever Been Heard Remember " No One Can Hurt Us Without Consent " " It is Not What Happens To us That Hurts Us....It Is Our Response That Hurt Us "