An Elder male I once crossed paths left me with this statement: "Anger is impotence!"
I was unable to comprehend the deeper meaning of this remark, given that I had identified with my anger for the course of my entire life; I regarded it as a strength and virtue and it was fully bound up with my sense of self as well as the persona I projected to others.
After all, I liked to think of myself as a Warrior for Truth and a Fighter for Justice. In this respect, anger was my fuel and I often justified it as 'righteous indignation'.
I now cringe at this perception. If anger immediately precipitates a retributive action which leads to a higher-order result then it has served its purpose. But if anger is merely a flare gun set to go off at the slightest incitement than it burns up both the body and mind over time over. (In Chinese Medicine, anger damages the liver!)
Personally, I would go into rages when exposed to material which promoted injustices, and I could easily find myself ranting inwardly. A sure indication of looming insanity!
What's the point of seeking out and delving into material that merely pours fuel over the burning logs of your discontent?
Do you feel any better afterward?
Have you accomplished a significant action as a result?
Or does it serve to highlight your smallness and insignificance in the face of overwhelming forces? In the case of the latter then, anger truly is impotence.
There are causes to promote, affiliations to develop, wounds and separated bonds to heal, essential work to do in the world and the validity of finding a field of service and contribution.
But indulging in anger for the sake of it is a fruitless venture - and a dangerous one.
Personally, I am weary of attempts to magnify my discontent, to shove into my consciousness a deluge of problems that I am powerless to do anything about - and God knows I admit to being guilty of the self-same tactic - and of having my propensity to anger a sore spot which is continually pricked to have me assume a stance.
Rather, draw me into an alliance of proactive, good-willed individuals with a unity of mission and open arms; forge a brotherhood and sisterhood in which genuine faith and care and loyalty and trust can flourish. Give me something good and noble to believe in and comrades who believe the same. This will empower me, in ways that beating my head against a wall red-faced never will.
ANGER IS IMPOTENCE!
