THE EMOTION OF ANGER

THE EMOTION OF ANGER Convert Your Weakness to Strength The angry man always thinks he can do more than he can. —Albetano, ancient Roman philosopher W HEN a man is intoxicated with alcohol, he is not in control of himself. He may even go so far as to bang his head on a stone, unmindful of the fact that it may not be the stone that breaks but his own head. This is because, in his besotted state, he wrongly gauges his own abilities and proceeds to do things which can have unfavourable consequences. The same is true of the angry man. In a towering rage, a man is not in control of himself. He overestimates his own capabilities, as a result of which he involves himself in activities which are beyond his powers of control. He realizes his foolishness only when his temper has cooled. But, by that time, the wrong step has been taken and destruction has followed in its wake. It is now too late for regrets: he is unable to save himself from his own wrong action. Anger is one of the major things that could cause a relationship to go sour. Anger stokes a quarrel, which if pursued, leads to personal dislike, and finally, to full-fledged hatred. Hatred eventually leads to evil. In any relationship, trouble is exacerbated by anger. Anger is a natural phenomenon, and the only solution is to control it. Anger in itself is not an evil. It becomes evil when it is allowed to spin out of control and affect people’s lives. Rage is an undesirable reaction to a temporary provocation. It is much like a fire that flares up for a short while and then dies down for lack of fuel. If we understand this, anger will not result in any serious disharmony. An unpleasant word or experience can make the fire in our mind suddenly flare up, but it only lasts for a short while. When we are angry, we should remain quiet, and try to calm ourselves before returning to dealing with the issue. It would not be wise to confront any adverse situation in anger. Anger in itself is not an evil. It becomes evil when it is allowed to spin out of control and affect people’s lives.