Anger is a very ugly emotion and dangerous as well.
Anyone who has either been a perpetrator or a recipient of someone's anger can attest to the powerful negative effect it has on everyone's life.
Anger seems ingrained in us as a response to our environment but it is not really the Anger itself that is so ingrained, it is Fear.
Anger does not exist without Fear as its parent.
There really are only two emotions: Fear and Love-and Love is the only true one.
Fear is something that only exists as an illusion, created to help us learn and grow.
Granted, Fear is a powerful motivator and Anger even more so.
Anger is not only a powerful motivator when used against other people; it is a great self-motivator as well.
How many times have we all said "I'll show that blankety-blank blank-I'll become better at that than they are!" or some similar angry retort.
That moment of rage then moves us into contemplating something we might not have if we hadn't been so angry.
Hopefully what it moves us to is something positive rather than revenge, which can move one into jail and/or death.
Anger has energy-movement energy-meant to kick us out of the doldrums of inactivity.
Used wisely, Anger can help us create a much better life.
Used improperly, Anger can destroy us and those around us.
Consider the terrorists who have such hatred and anger that they want to hurt not only the innocent people in the vicinity of their evil actions, but also the billions who will learn of the event.
People who would even contemplate such things are insane with Fear, cowards to the very core of their being.
They are so afraid of life they want to end it...
and take as many people with them as possible.
In the case of the Middle East variety of terrorist, they lean upon the Koran, claiming it gives them free rein to kill anyone who doesn't believe exactly as they do (The Koran says no such thing and Mohammed did not prescribe death in the manner they claim.
Those terrorists are so insane and ungodly that they are unable to understand what was really said...
but that's another discussion).
One of the lesser known problems with Anger is the self-motivating variety that pushes depressed people to commit suicide.
It is standard medical knowledge that the only time of real concern is when the patient is in the anger stage; that's when they actually have enough energy to commit the act.
If that anger reaches a peak when no one is around to stop them, the act is committed.
Self-hatred is a terrible thing; also a cowardly emotion based on fear of life.
Those who are abusers and turn their anger into a physical act upon less powerful people are also cowards afraid of life.
Those who point their anger into a physical pursuit and use it against others are literally insane with Fear; they see no other way out...
no other way to feel better.
The state of Anger brings a feeling of power and Rage brings the most power of all, especially when coupled with Hatred.
But that power is corrupt and false.
That power is so far removed from what is Real as to be laughable-if it didn't result in such pain and suffering for the recipients.
Giving in to Anger is understandable in many cases but that is no excuse for turning it against others or ourselves.
Anger is an emotion that must be controlled and turned into the guard-dog it was meant to be: a movement motivator, to move us in a more positive direction...
a signal that things need to change and quickly.
©2010Dr.
Valerie OlmstedAll Rights Reserved