AN ANECDOTE about a cockroach creating chaos in a restaurant is often shared to illustrate how we should react to unexpected situations.
One day, a cockroach suddenly flew in and landed on a lady at a restaurant. She screamed in fear, and her reaction became contagious, causing panic among the other diners. In her haste, she pushed the cockroach away, and it landed on another woman.
The drama continued as the cockroach eventually landed on a waiter, who rushed to the scene. However, instead of panicking, the waiter remained calm. He carefully observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt, then grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant.
The waiter was untroubled, not because he wasn’t afraid, but because he chose to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively. He knew how to handle unexpected challenges with composure.
The real problem wasn’t the cockroach; it was the way people reacted to its presence. Much of the stress we experience comes from our responses to situations, not the situations themselves.
Being in what seems to be a stressful condition is like part of life’s cycle. There are always changes and surprises. The difference lies in how we handle them. Do we choose to stay calm or become agitated?
Consider the traffic situation, for example. The TomTom Traffic Index recently labeled Davao City as the most congested city in the Philippines, even surpassing Metro Manila, which stirred extreme reactions.
For Davao residents, the survey felt far from the truth. While it’s true that the city experiences traffic, it is not as bad as in other cities in the country.
Factors such as a growing population, increased vehicle ownership, and the number of visitors and local tourists contribute to congestion. Additionally, road construction, accidents, limited road space, and violations of traffic rules exacerbate the issue.
However, traffic in Davao isn’t as bad if you’ve experienced it in other cities with worse congestion. The comments and debates on social media—where Davao residents defend the city and non-residents criticize them—can lead to stress.
If we know the truth about the traffic situation, do we really need to respond emotionally to accusations that incite chaos? Or can we choose to calmly say, “Stay in Davao and experience it for yourself”?
Traffic problems are universal. People would curse in the middle of the traffic and blame whoever was to blame for the congestion. But isn’t traffic just a part of the modern world we live in? Did we not embrace modernization?
Instead of letting traffic ruin our day, we should maintain our composure and focus on finding solutions rather than succumbing to stress.
We can avoid peak hours or allow for extra travel time, which might mean waking up a little earlier. There are always solutions to our problems.
Going back, the cockroach anecdote serves as a metaphor for calmly dealing with unexpected challenges. We can also connect this to one component of Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence: The ability to control or redirect disruptive emotions and impulses.
Emotions are contagious and can be shared with others, often without our realizing it. Therefore, if we want to create a happy environment, we should express and share positive emotions. By surrounding ourselves with positivity, we can improve our mental and physical health, enhance our relationships, and increase our productivity.
