How many times have we wished we could take back words we've said, cancel reactions, perhaps even start a relationship over again? Most of us can probably think of quarrels we could have prevented by more patience, compassion, understanding, humor, or humility. While some believe that letting anger out is therapeutic, most people would probably agree that the genuine exercise of these gentler qualities is more likely to bring peaceful relations with others.
The trouble is that controlling one's emotions in a tense situation or in the face of injustice or other bad behavior is easier said than done. At such times, I've found extremely helpful a statement by Mrs. Eddy in her Message to The Mother Church for 1900. She writes: "When a man begins to quarrel with himself he stops quarrelling with others. We must exterminate self before we can successfully war with mankind." Message for 1900, p. 8
To me, quarreling with myself means disagreeing with what the physical senses present to me as facts, but which actually aren't true from a spiritual perspective. A great theme of the Bible is the battle between carnal- and spiritual-mindedness. The book of Romans says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." Rom. 8:7
