Irritometer!

Article for Bethlehem Matrimonial - Dec 2014

I’m pretty sure you must have heard or used any of the different types of meters you see around in your life, Thermometer, Speedometer etc. All these are meant to do some calculation and provide you with a result. Ever heard of a thing called Irritometer? This is something which you wouldn’t have seen, but is definitely working within you, but ironically you do not realize it.

Picture this. You are having a conversation with someone you love and care about. The ultimate aim of the conversation is to take a decision on an important topic which affects you both. Thoughts get exchanged; pros and cons get discussed; at times with differences cropping up here and there. The air gets tensed when the differences do not seem to get resolved. If you let the conversation continue in the same pace it’ll soon lead to heated exchanges between the two. This obviously will result in unintentional words spoken by either or both. These could probably hurt the ego and might lead to bigger issues and perhaps fights as well. Rest is history.

Now let us rewind a bit. Go back to the point where you start seeing the differences crop up in your conversation. You’ll begin to get a feeling of the air getting tensed. That’s the exact moment when the Irritometer in you gets kick started. You can sense the needle of the meter slowly coming to life. The Irritometer starts to calculate the level of irritation which results from a tensed conversation which touches upon the borders of ego clash.

Just like most of the meters, you could visualize the Irritometer indicating a low level of irritation initially, slowly moving towards a medium level and shoots up to a high level when it is guaranteed that all hell will break loose. It is absolutely important for you to know when this meter kick starts its operation so that you are aware of a potential danger ahead if the situation is not brought under control.

It doesn’t take much of an effort to listen to the Irritometer in you. It is a naturally given gift to all of us to realize when you start getting irritated. Many a times you will also know when a dear one gets irritated as well. The most prudent thing to do at that moment is to try not to aggravate the situation. There are people who realize this moment of irritation but do nothing to make things better. They just add fuel to the fire by letting the Irritometer switch to the next level.

We need to realize that it is part of a wonderful plan by our Creator that we all are designed with this amazing spiritual instrument, Irritometer. The instrument that allows you to sense the mood changes of your loved ones and lets you take the most logical action so as not to make matters worse. But the Creator has left the use of the tool and the follow-up actions to our discretion. It is one of the biggest responsibilities we need to undertake to ensure that we listen to the call of this meter and act accordingly.

Ensure that you keep an open mind during a conversation, listen to the Irritometer and identify the level at which the meter is on. Take the necessary course of action to ensure that the egos are not hurt by continuing with the factors that irritate you further. The actions that you could take may vary based on the level of relationship you share with your loved ones. For some, it could be a change of topic, for others it could be a simple hug or even a query to the other person asking if you are making them uncomfortable. These and many more can be devised to switch off the Irritometer so that your conversations are back on a smooth track.

We all are gifted with this wonderful skill of knowing what makes your loved ones irritated. May your Irritometers be in perfect working condition and be blessed with the providence of taking the right course of action when the meter kicks in! God bless you!