Einstein

The great scientist Einstein was a very wise man. His wife was quite a dull head. She was illiterate and ill-mannered. She was capable of speaking anything that she wanted to, without thinking how the other person would feel about it. Einstein was usually lost in his world of test tubes, Bunsen burners, pipettes, experiments etc. He was a great thinker. He would sit quietly for hours on end, contemplating on the mysteries of the universe.

Being so engrossed in his work; he never remembered to eat his meals in time. His wife held a permanent grudge against him for being so irresponsible towards his spousal duties. She would remind him for each meal, umpteen times before he would finally condescend to come to the dinner table. One day she was feeling very hungry. She put the food on the table and told Einstein to come and eat. She nagged him again and again, but his mind was elsewhere. He practically did not even hear what she was saying.

After reminding him to her wits end, she flew into a rage and picked up the jug of water from the table. Before Einstein could say Jack Robinson, she had emptied the jug on his head! Needless to say, the cold water was flavoured with the choicest of abuses. As Einstein shook the water from his hair, he smiled and said, “I was used to the lightning and thunder every day. But today’s heavy down pour has caught me unawares!”

That was Einstein; composed and unprovoked! It never crossed his mind, to snatch the empty jug from his wife’s hand and smash it on her head! Retaliation was not part of him; equanimity and sense control was! Calmness of mind does not mean, you should stop your activity, real calmness should be found in activity itself.