Another tool that can turn the tide of anger into a calming wave of peace is the wise use of humor. Anger can be kindled when one unkind remark is followed by a retaliatory response from another. If you find yourself in a tense situation, even if it appears a negative response is warranted, the use of humor where appropriate will often endear you to others.
Someone once made the disparaging remark to Abraham Lincoln that he was “two-faced.” Without being the least bit offended, President Lincoln gave the clever response: “I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?” (quoted in Russell Freedman, Lincoln: A Photobiography [1987], 1, 4).
Gordon T. Watts
“Slow to Anger,” Ensign, Feb. 2003, 59
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