The amount of pent-up anger in our society is growing. There is anger at everything. There is anger at the economy which is underperforming. There is anger at politicians for being hypocritical and self-serving. There is anger at immigrants for ‘taking away jobs’ and depressing wages. There is anger at billionaires for gaming the system and controlling politicians. There is anger against ‘them’ for dragging the country downward.
Mass murders fueled by anger have become so commonplace that they do not even provoke outrage anymore. What, a few years ago, would have dominated news coverage for weeks is shrugged off today and vanishes in a day. Road rage killings are on the rise, protests are becoming more violent and the number of people joining armed militias is increasing.
We have come to a sorry pass indeed.
The negative health effects of anger have been well documented – hypertension, likelihood of strokes, cardiac arrests and much more.
Anger is an emotion just like any other – sadness, love, gratitude, pride and so on.
There is no problem if you become angry.
It is a huge problem if you remain angry.
Anger has an enormous amount of emotional energy within it. You can channel it into action that serves you. Jody Williams, for example, was able to transform the anger she felt when she saw landmines cripple children into founding ICBL – The International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
The way to do this is simple. And easy.
Anger arises because the universe is not unfolding the way in which you would like it to. Pause and ask yourself if your view is truly the best way forward.
If you believe it is, then come up with a plan of action to make things happen in the way you conceive.
This is the time to let the anger dissipate.
You do this by pouring that disturbed emotional energy into the task at hand, into the activities that you undertake to reach the goal that you have set.
Anger automatically goes away if you ‘invest in the process, not the outcome.’
Your job is to be aware of when anger has been triggered. Observe the anger. Use it for your ends. Then let it go.
If you keep it bottled inside you as a simmering rage, it will ruin your experience of life.
Peace!
