There was a time in my life when a missed train, an impudent remark, or a flat bicycle tire made me fly into a fury. Sometimes the situations that triggered in me strong feelings of anger, disappointment, desperation, and fear seemed to be substantial and sometimes they were insignificant. I felt tossed about by outside circumstances as well as by my own emotions. When I was in a rage, my thoughts were racing; sometimes I even had to cry or kick an object. I felt very much in distress.
Since I was also experiencing other times in my life when, through spiritual practice, I was calm, felt an inner peace, and had a conciliatory effect on others, I decided to focus my attention more on spiritual things and consistently devote an hour of my morning to the study of Christian Science.
This brought a change to the situation. Week after week I experienced more and more confidence and assurance growing in me. I learned not to take things personally anymore. What helped me a lot, among others, was the following passage from Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896: “It is our pride that makes another’s criticism rankle, our self-will that makes another’s deed offensive, our egotism that feels hurt by another’s self-assertion” (p. 224).
