Short-Circuit

From the Stone Tarot, Temperance; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, a verse from the 17th chapter of the Dhammapada:

The Online Etymology Dictionary had some interesting notes for the verb form of this card (temper): "to moderate, bring to a proper or suitable state, to modify some excessive quality, to restrain within due limits, mix in due proportion." In the last few hundred years, Temperance has come to be associated with inebriation, but I have to admit my emotions have intoxicated me in far greater measure than any drug or drink. When that jolt of anger goes through me, it can be hard to remember this is just energy; I don't need to feed it a story line, I just need to let it dissipate without acting on it. The Dhammapada's verse seems to underscore the need to train the mind - not so I won't feel, but so I will realize my brain has been temporarily short-circuited:

The one who keeps anger in check as it arises, as one would a careening chariot, I call a charioteer. Others are merely rein-holders.