“The Greek dramatist and researcher of the darker side of human nature gives us a cornerstone definition of anger.
"Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes angry." -Euripides.
Anger not only destroys us mentally, emotionally, and physically but also damages our surroundings and relationships.
Anger also damages our ability to dream!
One of the distinctive differences between humans and animals is being able to dream.
The ability to dream and imagine contributes to us being alive. From this, the poet draws inspiration, and the writer finds new ideas. Dreams and imagination make up the spice of life.
In this article, we will examine some of the aspects of anger. Understanding the mechanisms of anger will give us an unexpected, vital source of energy. We can then tribute that newfound energy to whatever goal or dream we desire.
To begin with, let’s agree that anger is not inherent to us. It is not a genuine emotion; it is borrowed. It is not ours; it is generated outside of ourselves. It originates in the outside world; we take in ‘Anger Energy’ and accumulate it in our body.
As time passes, we accumulate this ‘Anger Energy’. Eventually, we turn into a pressure cooker that, at some point, explodes. Unknowingly, we have been pulled into a cyclic chain of anger, cause and effect.
Since anger isn’t part of us, we exert it only by imitation. We learn to adjust and live peacefully in our surroundings by imitating those in our lives who influence us. This learned behavior continues until we are self-sufficient enough to do things independently. This principle also applies to anger. When we receive violent or aggressive behavior, we often respond by imitating that same behavior.
Generally, an angry person follows a circular process:
Their pressure cooker fills, and they explode.
Everyone involved endures the consequences.
Slowly - very slowly – the perpetrator of the outburst regains energy.
Time goes on, and their pressure cooker again fills, and they explode again.
It’s a way of life that generally results not only in few if any, achievements but also leads to lots of lost time. Determination, willpower, and the proper tools are needed to overcome this
destructive cycle.
When we exert violence or exhibit anger on someone, we feel a release and might even think that we have fulfilled some purpose and feel that the cycle of violence is closed - IT IS NOT!
This cycle of violence continues along our entire glandular system until, at a given point, we start to get sick and weak and eventually lose the joy of living - a typical characteristic of people led by anger. They feel life is not emotionality fulfilling; and see no beauty in life.
The accumulation of energy that we exert even in a very short ten—to fifteen-second outburst is life—energy that sometimes takes months to replenish.
After an outburst led by anger, we are left weak. Over a period of four to six months, we begin to generate some vitality, but then—being stuck in the violent anger cycle—we expel it again in a single explosion and once again are left depleted of energy, unable to continue with the normal activities of our lives—again!
This outburst causes a ripple effect as whoever we direct our anger towards will likely react angrily, too. It’s like a virus that we keep passing on to others.
If, due to temperament or our circumstance, we are victimized by anger or an attack and do not externalize our anger, we are left with excess energy, which attacks our own body and mind and will leave us with feelings of anguish and depression, leading eventually to illness.
A life of anger weakens us and makes us old for no reason. Anger also pushes us to isolate ourselves socially. Perhaps a loved one approaches us seeking comfort, and because we are weak and feel poorly following an outburst, we yell at them instead. An angry person can lash out at anyone, even friends.
If we were aware of how destructive it is, would we let anger
contaminate us? This is a terrible cycle to be stuck in, especially when we can address that if we know how.
How do we get ahead of this?
We get ahead of anger and violent behavior by studying about it,
and its cyclic destructive behavior. Once we realize the disastrous
consequences of stepping into that cycle, the love for ourselves
along with the knowledge of anger’s mechanism and
understanding the tools needed to combat this virus will help us
refrain from stepping into that hellish cycle.
The Solution:
If we love ourselves, why would we let a destructive virus enter our body?
Loving ourselves acts as a barrier to anger and violence.
We must then be more alert to the signs of anger. As soon as we know that we are generating anger energy, we should force ourselves to dump that energy into a creative activity.
When we act with excess anger energy, if channeled properly, we are capable of great things that we typically wouldn’t be able to achieve.
"Through my bitter experience, I have learned a supreme lesson: to preserve my anger because, just as preserved heat is transformed into energy, our controlled anger can be transmuted into a power capable of moving the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi
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Philosophical Style- May, 2024
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