Welcome.
Please close your eyes as you inhale fully and gently release your breath.
Inhale once more and exhale releasing any tension in your body.
Just breathe.
A samurai had lent money to a fisherman in a small coastal village nearby and today,
Exactly a year later,
The samurai went to collect his debt.
Upon seeing the samurai,
The fisherman threw himself to the ground and bowed his head to the sand.
He pleaded that it had been a very bad year and asked for an extension.
Hearing this,
The samurai flushed with anger and quickly drew his sword,
Preparing to kill the fisherman.
Why should I not simply slay you instead?
Shouted the samurai.
Fearing that his life was over,
The fisherman spoke boldly.
For some time now,
I have been studying martial arts and one of the lessons that my master teaches is never to strike when you are angry.
I beg you,
Give me one more year to pay you what I owe.
Thinking about what the fisherman had just said,
The samurai lowered his sword.
Your master is wise.
As a student of the arts,
I too have learned the lesson many times.
But sometimes I get so angry I act without thinking.
Putting away his sword,
The samurai explained,
You shall have another year to repay me your debt,
But when I return,
If you do not have all the money you owe me,
I shall not hesitate to take your life instead.
And without another word,
He left.
When the samurai returned home,
It was dark,
And so he quietly entered the house as not to wake anyone.
As he entered his bedchamber,
He noticed there was two people lying on his bed.
One he recognized and his wife,
And the other,
From their clothing,
Was unmistakably another samurai.
Swiftly,
He drew his sword,
And his anger quickly grew.
He moved in to slay them both.
Just then,
As he was about to strike,
The fisherman's words came back to him,
Never strike when you are angry.
This time,
I shall follow the lesson,
He thought to himself.
Pausing,
He took a deep breath and made a loud noise.
Hearing the sound,
Both his wife and the stranger immediately woke up.
And when his wife lit the candle,
He found himself face to face with his wife and his mother,
Who had dressed up in his clothes and another set of swords.
What is the meaning of this,
He demanded.
I almost killed you both.
His wife quickly explained that when he had not returned by nightfall,
They decided to dress his mother up in his clothes.
So that in the event that an intruder entered the home,
They would be frightened off at the sight of a samurai in the house.
At that moment,
The samurai realized that his habit of striking without thinking had almost cost him the life of his wife and his mother.
One year later,
The samurai went to see the fisherman.
It has been an excellent year,
My lord.
Here is all of the money I owe you as promised and with interest.
Keep your money,
Replied the samurai.
Your debt was paid to me long ago.
Anger can be a powerful emotion.
It can incite change or ignite destruction.
When acknowledged,
Understood,
And channeled properly,
Anger can act as a burning candle shedding light on darkness.
After all,
Anger is an emotion,
Not an action.
What matters most is what you do with it.
Will you allow it to burn you down or build you up?
Whenever presented with anger,
There is a choice that inevitably follows.
And the choice is always yours.
Remember,
The best fighter is never angry.
Take a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Release any feelings of tension in your neck,
Your shoulders,
Or your back.
Inhale fully,
Breathing to any places of tension in your body.
And slowly release your breath.
Focus on your breath,
Moving in and out.
Thank you for joining us today.
May you have a meaningful day.
