Don't Look Back... in Anger

So Sally can wait,
She knows it's too late
As we're walking on by
Her soul slides away,
But don't look back in anger
I heard you say...
-- "Don't Look Back in Anger", Oasis

Today I was reminded by a certain happening that anger is not always the solution. It might also have involved Pokémon Go, or it might not. What is clear is that anger wasn't necessary and could have been sidestepped. That reminded me of another Pokémon situation which might also involve anger but not necessarily as a solution, as well as this classic song.

That Pokémon situation is in the game Magikarp Jump. Sometimes, after training Magikarp, the "Slacker Magikarp" event may appear; in it, Magikarp is cast to appear to have not been putting great efforts in training, and the player is given two options: scold it or not. As I've mentioned in my post about decisions in the game, I tend to choose by my feelings, so sometimes I choose to scold and sometimes not to. However, by my experience, most times I've decided to scold, Magikarp ends up sulking, undoing some of the training efforts. It is this experience that reminds me that anger doesn't solve everything.

That seems to be part of the point of the song as well, if the title isn't already clear enough. Good things are present if one knows where to look, and there is - or was - no need to be angry about what has taken place. Sometimes it's best to just ignore and proceed with life. Anger can be saved for another day, or even shelved indefinitely. It seems that's true whether it's this life or the life within the Pokémon games.

It seems I may have to take an extra reminder not to get worked up when I play Go, and I have to exercise restraint in Magikarp Jump as well. The point is clear - anger is likely unnecessary. And it's probably even more so in hindsight, as the song suggests.

One year ago: Pokémon Desktop Wallpapers