What Should We Do With Our Anger?

I grew up in a home where anger was the norm.  Our father, who was a good man and loved his family, had an anger problem.  Easily provoked, his fuse seemed to be perpetually lit, just waiting to burn down.  Needless to say, those of us who grew up in our home experienced a distorted expression of the emotion and struggled mightily with how to deal with our own anger.  It has been a lifetime struggle for me.  

A few things that provide the foundation for my thoughts about anger: 

     1 - It is a normal, healthy human emotion.  It is an appropriate response to injustice and alerts us to the need for change.

     2 - It’s an emotion that can be easily distorted and often misunderstood.

     3 - Current research shows that the level of anger is rising at an alarming rate in our country. 

So, here are some of my thoughts.

Anger has always haunted us mere mortals.   Humans struggling with anger can be found in most of the ancient literature.  Whether it’s the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, or passages from ancient spiritual texts such as the Bible, anger plays a powerful role.  And on the large stage of history, the results of folks getting angry has mixed results.  Sometimes, anger has caused people to rise up and overthrow tyrants.  Righteous anger has, at times, led to a reshaping of society in a more just and equitable way.  

But, just as often, anger has caused unnecessary pain and suffering for many who were innocently caught up in the wrath of an angry person with power. On a smaller scale, we have all witnessed families being damaged by anger, communities torn apart by angry people seeking revenge.  We have also seen unexpressed anger turned inward lead to health issues or emotional trauma. 

Clearly anger is a complex and powerful emotion that can be used for good or ill.  And we all have to learn to deal with it. Maybe the struggle revolves around whether we learn to control our anger or allow our anger to control us.  

In this latest podcast, we explore our own understanding of anger.  We talk some about how it has shaped our lives, and ways we have worked to deal with our anger more effectively.