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Get a grip ! ….Get a grip on yourself !

Get a grip !     ….Get a grip on yourself !

This is certainly regarded as slang but is surely a useful tool to put a belligerent person, especially arrogant teenagers, quickly and effectively in their place albeit rather crudely.

Telling someone to his or her face, “Get a grip on yourself” is certainly a sign of agitation and aggression and would definitely be frowned upon by culturists and educators. It nevertheless sometimes necessitates an end to an argument, an unbearably rude confrontation, or a situation with no other outcome.

Even with such an excuse, psychologists, moralists and common sense would rule out voicing this aggressive expression too often. It is best reserved as a strategic communication tool when other polite interludes have been exhausted.

You can, of course, always apply it to yourself even if only as a reminder to check you own reaction and stem the development of thoughts and deeds that may be detrimental to your own esteem. This then is the reason to peruse the phrase and bring about the knowledge that all of us are fallible but for the grace of God or a tiny spark of our conscience. It means we all need to assess our behaviour constantly. Is it acceptable to just fire away?

More often than not, we are prone to reacting on impulse and afterwards have the shameful task of apologising for shooting off our mouths.

Human behaviour, contrary to instinct, is not an inborn trait, but the result of upbringing, imitation and/or peer pressure, or lack thereof. However, by changing attitude, environment and conditions of discipline, it can be rectified or at least modified by concentrated direction, lengthy dissertations and lots of patience. This is also the course of the new age and even the justice system to council and convict behavioural offenders.

So, next time you start fuming, think along these lines and instead of a snappish ‘get a grip!’, turn the other cheek and turn grip into grab and apply it to yourself as ‘grab a life’!

Life is the essence of any being and with that you will remember the joy and happiness that a good life should bring: like a new born baby, a bud, a blossom and a new green leaf. New life is always a new beginning and has been so since the inception of life on earth. All hardship, drought, war, famine, man’s malevolence, natural disasters and even death, lead to rejoicing and the celebration of new life and the expectation of a good nascent.

This sounds like preaching, but since the beginning of time, man and creatures have seen these terms of development and the recreation of all life on earth, of intellect, of reason, the ‘new’ intelligence, robotics, and much more which the new generation will soon know.

The speed at which this new development is changing life is so derogatory to our understanding that we find ourselves in constant conflict and turmoil that is hard to control. It is usually at this point, after a vexing exchange, that one is inclined to exploit the invective, “Get a grip!”

Therefore, let it be our aim in this life to take the sting out of our frustration, aggression, anger, fury and whatsoever annoys us. Life, indeed, brings perspective to one’s senses and allows for focusing on the future. It is like … well, …… “Get a grip on yourself.”


 

About The Author

Richard S

Richard S. is a retired business manager. His career of more than 40 years took him from clerk to director of international programme marketing in the television broadcasting sector. During his career he has witnessed several large-scale transformations, first in radio services, then in television programme procurement and TV scheduling and presentation. He also successfully tried his hand at retail business and property development. He is a pre-digital professional but has lately adopted some of these new technologies although he is reserved about their application and functionality. He believes that digital is only in its infancy but that in the future intelligent design age it will still become the only form of public communication. He lives with his wife in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was educated at the University of the Free State and of Natal.