A saint was visiting the Ganges river to bathe one day ... He overheard some family members on the banks, shouting and bickering angrily at each other ...
He turned to his disciples, smiled and asked, "Why do angry people shout at each other ???" ... The disciples thought for a while, then one of them said, "Because we lose our calm, that's why we shout" ... The saint replied, "But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you ??? You can simply tell him or her what you have to say in a soft manner" ... Other disciples supplied answers but none satisfied the saint ...
Finally, the saint explained, "When two people are angry at each other, there is a great distance between their hearts ... To cover that distance they must shout so they can hear each other ... The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other, such that they can bridge that great distance ... What happens when two people fall in love ??? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close ... The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small" ... The saint continued, "When they love each other even more, what happens ??? They do not speak; they only whisper, and when they get even closer to each other in their love, finally they do not need to whisper; they only look at each other and that’s all ... That is how close two people are when they love each other" ...
He looked at his disciples and said, "So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more ... Otherwise, there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return" ...
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