Sometimes my mind returns to the somewhat silly moments in the first two Marvel Avengers movies when the Hulk has to be talked down for one reason or another. Whoever is trying to calm him down says “The sun’s getting real low, buddy.”

I have no idea why that line sticks in my mind’s track so often, given that those aren’t particularly good movies, and I haven’t seen them in the better part of a decade. Nonetheless, I think about the line at least once or twice a week.

I think it can be a mental subroutine that snaps its fingers at my brain when I start to give over control to the more emotional side of things. I tend to be someone that operates on logical routines and forward-focused sensibility. If things are hard, I know they will not always be as such. If I’m experiencing pain or hardship (physical or emotional) I can be confident that those feelings will end and therefore disallow them control over my reactions. Mostly.

A moment can come along, however, where I have to stop and say, “The sun’s getting real low, buddy.” Sundown is coming, and with it calm. Allowing our emotions to carry us away can in a very real sense, lead us to Hulk behavior. Reacting only, never thinking about consequences or who we might hurt in our lashing out. We must master the beast lest it master us instead. The more time we allow it to sit in the driver’s seat, the more comfortable it will become driving.

And it should be no surprise that I’ve been reading a modern translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. There’s a lot of wisdom that those who came before have already found out. Take a read for yourself.