Have you ever wondered why one person can stay calm in a difficult situation while another person explodes with anger?
Is it genetics? The way someone was raised? Or is it the constant exposure to violence in movies, television, and video games?
Is it emotional intelligence? Patience? Personality?
And does it change as people get older? Do some people mellow with age, while others become even more short-tempered?
If you are someone with a quick temper, can you actually overcome it?
What actually makes a person prone to anger in the first place? Is it personality, stress, insecurity, learned behaviour, or simply how some people are wired? Maybe it’s a combination of many things layered together over a lifetime of experiences.
Inquiring minds want to know.
My opinion, and no, I have not done any scientific research on this whatsoever, is that temperament is probably partly inherited. I also think a person’s environment and upbringing play a huge role in how they react to stress, frustration, and conflict.
Do I think people can improve? Yes, to some extent. With self-awareness and effort, I think many people can learn to manage their reactions better.
Do some people mellow with age? Absolutely.
But I also think some people become more bitter, impatient, or angry as they get older.
See? I know this sounds a little wishy-washy. Kind of like saying, “It might rain. It might not.”
Still, I find human behaviour fascinating.
I was very short-tempered in my teens and twenties. Looking back, I firmly believe some of it was inherited, and some of it came from the environment I was raised in.
Have I mellowed with age? Yes, I believe I have.
Do I still get angry sometimes? Of course. But not nearly to the extent I once did. As I have gotten older, I have learned to let certain things roll off my back. Some battles simply are not worth the energy.
People evolve over their lifetime. You are not the same person you were at twenty. Heck, you are not even the same person you were a year ago.
Maybe that’s part of growing older. Learning what deserves your energy and what does not.
This is a slightly different kind of blog for me. Just some random thoughts rattling around in my head.
And as Tigger would say, “TTFN. Ta-ta for now!”