Of course there will be anger
where the love is strong
spilled like gasoline.
Crude
But its a power we can draw upon
If it fuels the right machine.
-David Wilcox-
where the love is strong
spilled like gasoline.
Crude
But its a power we can draw upon
If it fuels the right machine.
-David Wilcox-
Anger is dANGERous. It is dangerous because it is powerful, and full of energy. And it is crude, and untamed, irrational, impatient, ready to act, ready to defend, ready to destroy.
Anger is a reaction to what I perceive to be an injustice. When I think that someone is being treated unfairly or unjustly, my sense of right begins to prepare my body to defend the wronged, to attack the attacker. Even if I am non-violent by nature and by training, my body reacts to prepare to fight and defend rightness, and protect the vulnerable and the wronged. But my body reacts even more quickly or more aggressively, when by personality, trauma or training, I have made a habit of addressing wrong with might.
Physiological responses to anger --
= muscles tens up in preparation to fight
= the boy produces heat, especially in the head, hence the term "hot head"
= fists clench up
= jaw clenches up
= shoulders tighten and neck stiffens, leading to head aches
= back stiffens
= legs tense up
= blood pressure rises and heart rate increases
= digestion shuts down in the short term, the food recently digested is channeled into energy for the fight
= but over the long haul this process can bring about an opposite reaction - diarrhea
When our bodies prepare to deal with some injustice with physical force, sometimes we apply that force and make things worse. At other times we successfully refrain from using physical force, but that does not leave us home free. This preparation with release takes its toll on our mental and physical health.
Righteous indignation arises from perceived injustice. "Perceived" is the relevant word here. Is your perception correct? Is there really an injustice, or am I only seeing things from my limited perspective? If there is real injustice, is it something that physical force can do something about? Will your physically aggressive reaction bring about further injustice? Will aggressive words bring about justice or further injustice? Will aggressive thoughts lead on a path toward justice, or will they rob me of my own awareness of the elements of justice and peace that are available?
Anger is also associate with fear, because when we perceive and injustice, often we perceive ourselves as the victim of that injustice and our indignation and desire for righting the wrong is combined with fear for our own harm or loss. We can also fear our own inadequacy to right the wrong. We can also, wisely, fear that any action we might take to address the injustice may bring further harm and injustice.
Just holding your anger is is not the solution.
A routine practice of meditation, especially a routine that includes meditations to explore the anger itself, meditations to bring stillness, and Loving Kindness meditations, on a regular basis, helps to slow the reactivity. It allows us to see justice and injustice more clearly. It helps us to slow down and consider the best course of action, or sometimes = inaction for the time being. It helps to calm the body when it is revved up and the heart and mind determine that restraint is in order. This calming can ease or prevent our anger from wrecking our own body and spirit. It can help prepare us to build community, so that a community of righteousness can address injustice without fanning the flames of angry injustice.
Don't wait for things to change around you.
Don't believe that shouting for one thousand years
will bring you relief.
You have to practice liberating yourself.
Then you will be equipped
with the power of compassion and understanding,
the only kind of power that can help
transform an environment
full of injustice and discrimination.
-Thich Nhat Hanh-
Be angry,
but in your anger, do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down on your anger.
Do not give the Devil a foothold.
-the Apostle Paul-
For every minute you are angry,
you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Consider how much more you often suffer
from your anger and grief,
than from those things
for which your are angry and grieved.
-Marcus Antonius-
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal
with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.
-the Buddha-
Be quick to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to become angry,
because human anger does not
produce the righteousness
that God desires.
-James the brother of Jesus-
Anger is a reaction to what I perceive to be an injustice. When I think that someone is being treated unfairly or unjustly, my sense of right begins to prepare my body to defend the wronged, to attack the attacker. Even if I am non-violent by nature and by training, my body reacts to prepare to fight and defend rightness, and protect the vulnerable and the wronged. But my body reacts even more quickly or more aggressively, when by personality, trauma or training, I have made a habit of addressing wrong with might.
Physiological responses to anger --
= muscles tens up in preparation to fight
= the boy produces heat, especially in the head, hence the term "hot head"
= fists clench up
= jaw clenches up
= shoulders tighten and neck stiffens, leading to head aches
= back stiffens
= legs tense up
= blood pressure rises and heart rate increases
= digestion shuts down in the short term, the food recently digested is channeled into energy for the fight
= but over the long haul this process can bring about an opposite reaction - diarrhea
When our bodies prepare to deal with some injustice with physical force, sometimes we apply that force and make things worse. At other times we successfully refrain from using physical force, but that does not leave us home free. This preparation with release takes its toll on our mental and physical health.
Righteous indignation arises from perceived injustice. "Perceived" is the relevant word here. Is your perception correct? Is there really an injustice, or am I only seeing things from my limited perspective? If there is real injustice, is it something that physical force can do something about? Will your physically aggressive reaction bring about further injustice? Will aggressive words bring about justice or further injustice? Will aggressive thoughts lead on a path toward justice, or will they rob me of my own awareness of the elements of justice and peace that are available?
Anger is also associate with fear, because when we perceive and injustice, often we perceive ourselves as the victim of that injustice and our indignation and desire for righting the wrong is combined with fear for our own harm or loss. We can also fear our own inadequacy to right the wrong. We can also, wisely, fear that any action we might take to address the injustice may bring further harm and injustice.
Just holding your anger is is not the solution.
A routine practice of meditation, especially a routine that includes meditations to explore the anger itself, meditations to bring stillness, and Loving Kindness meditations, on a regular basis, helps to slow the reactivity. It allows us to see justice and injustice more clearly. It helps us to slow down and consider the best course of action, or sometimes = inaction for the time being. It helps to calm the body when it is revved up and the heart and mind determine that restraint is in order. This calming can ease or prevent our anger from wrecking our own body and spirit. It can help prepare us to build community, so that a community of righteousness can address injustice without fanning the flames of angry injustice.
Don't wait for things to change around you.
Don't believe that shouting for one thousand years
will bring you relief.
You have to practice liberating yourself.
Then you will be equipped
with the power of compassion and understanding,
the only kind of power that can help
transform an environment
full of injustice and discrimination.
-Thich Nhat Hanh-
Be angry,
but in your anger, do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down on your anger.
Do not give the Devil a foothold.
-the Apostle Paul-
For every minute you are angry,
you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Consider how much more you often suffer
from your anger and grief,
than from those things
for which your are angry and grieved.
-Marcus Antonius-
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal
with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.
-the Buddha-
Be quick to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to become angry,
because human anger does not
produce the righteousness
that God desires.
-James the brother of Jesus-