“Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It’s like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice.” ~Jim Butcher
What is anger? Are “degrees” of anger a viable theory? Is anger at one level the same at another? Very poignant questions, but, the essence of anger is what? This is the question we must ask, for if we do not we fail to find the source, we only walk in darkness.
Being angry is a term. We can be upset, perturbed, dissented, abhorred, pissed off, or we can be enraged, crazed and form hatred. Anger is a door.. and we must be cautious. We must walk softly against the soil of anger, for it is only a mirror to what we do not acknowledge within our own self. We see the image of what we despise, and try to change it, usually by forceful means or more often by manipulation.. the problem is we never try to change what is within; instead we focus outside the self and on our neighbors.
Our neighbors are mirrors, reflections of spirit. Perhaps, we are all mirrors. And, the mirror is often a place that most care to not stare at for long. If one does stare, he must come to witness, realize and accept his faults. This is generally a task that no man favors. The mirror can be a scary place. Sometimes, the truth is painful, and our reflections are much uglier than we’ve ever thought.
Why be angry at another? Faults? We pick these faults out at random, and a sudden magic happens which makes one forget his own faults in the progress. In focusing on what another does wrong, one exhales in relief that he is better than the other. What an arrogant and hapless way of living this is. You are no better than another, and never will be. Life is weighed by a higher power than you, and you will never know by which standard it is weighed. Yet anger and dissent prevails across all lands.
If you have any anger or hate for another.. you only hate what you choose not to see in the mirror.
Anger is a powerful force; as creative or destructive as one can make it become. In a sphere of anger all men will travel. We know when we are torn. We know when we see our own faults. This anger is a reckoning. This reckoning should signal change, not malice nor hatred. We must change the self and remove the anger before we can love; before we can know peace; before we can look within and see our true face, our own soul.
HeartSphere 
My own personal conclusion is that all physical/ actual emotional states are also contiguous atemporal spiritual states; thus anger, love, sadness are not just phases of emotion, but also universal places. This accords with the view that the state of grace, heaven, is not just a state of being but a place too. Control of ourselves through physical discipline is also control of ourselves spiritually and so anger and hatred, leading to a state of unclean spirituality, put us in hell, lost from God; love and forgiveness, leading to spiritual cleanliness, put us in a state of grace, heaven, and so bring us in to the string dimension, permeating the matter universe, in which God both resides and is able to monitor and react to us. Thus anger as an example emotion is both a physical state and a spiritual one, the avoidance and control of which will increase our ability to be in God’s presence, in a state of Grace, which creates a cycle of God feeding our spirit and us becoming thereby more able to be at peace. http://thetempleandthesacrifice.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/an-argument-for-origins-whats-the-matter/
I hear you heart echoed in the words I myself have spoken many times over the years. Anger is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, that is under-harnessed for the good from exactly the transformation you speak of.
Yet an equally important ‘energy crisis’ that you have brought to our attention. There are so many sources to tap into, personal, intergenerational, professional, political, environmental, racial…. and on it goes. It is often a mask that we wear and removing it reveals the true raw resources of sadness, injustice or suffering or pure energy.
The last line is my favorite – “We must change the self and remove the anger before we can love; before we can know peace; before we can look within and see our true face, our own soul.” Imagine what would be possible in the world if it’s leaders would ‘summit’ on this one concept, for a even a week?
@beverleysmith36 I couldn’t find a link for you on your gravatar. I hope you will contact me – please.
Well said!
“.”
Cat
You are so on point! Thanks for the message!
The root of anger is fear. Recognize and dissolve the fear, and the anger dissolves as well. And mirrors very much reflect back to us that which we do not wish to see…and must! Thanks for the reminders!
Very well said! All the best to you 🙂
Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’ve been told by a few persons that I have “an anger problem”, and, after reading this, it makes more sense about it’s source. I do not like many things about myself, and fear that I do not have the ability to change (or feel powerless or not competent enough to do that for a variety of reasons). Or, I don’t know just WHAT to do to fix it, It’s difficult to live in that space of fear, confusion and self loathing. I often find it difficult to accept the person I see myself to be. I see your point that it brings me “temporary relief” to criticize others and project the anger I really have for myself onto them. I have also learned that when I “point” the “finger of anger and criticism” to another, I automatically get my 4 remaining fingers pointed straight back at me.
By the way – I am a regular reader of this blog, but because of the vulnerable nature of this comment, I didn’t want to use my blog identity to comment.
I think many people struggle with anger as you’ve described at one point or throughout life.. One can transcend this, only by being mindful and aware when the emotion rises to the surface so as to properly redirect the negative feelings.
Yes — I have noticed I need the ability – *and* the mindfulness – to physically remove myself quickly from the anger situation and work through the painful emotions of whatever is coming up for me. It’s not always easy as my anger response can feel more like a reflex than the CHOICE that it is. I must exit fast before I make the wrong choice!
Good post. Forgiveness with a loving heart and Letting Go are the catalysts to removing anger and hatred.
I have to disagree on this one and with most of the replies above, at least in part. Anger and hate some of the time cannot be tamped down, therefore, depending on this situation, it’s best to allow it to roam free until it morphes into something else or vanishes on its own like a seasonal case of flu. Sometimes this is the way of be rid of it, anything else would only induce festering, and festering unlike anger and its ramifications is almost never a productive force, much the contrary in fact.
Interesting perspective, but I disagree. Anger and hate are choices brought forth from experiences; usually conflicts. These can always be redirected into a positive light. Believing that they cannot be is a very negative outlook.
Yes, in general I agree with the point you are making. But we must acknowledge that in the sphere of emotions one size does not fit all – all the time. Then again how do we define what is positive? And what is negative? Emotions and how they change/flow are very subjective in my opinion. To be more specific and to give just an example, think about art. Some of the greatest works of art were born straight out of ire, out of anger and despair, without living them to the ultimate drop these artists would have never composed, painted, sculpted and created the marvels they have. If positiveness “by the book” were a constant throughout history the world would have been a more peaceful but also a much blander place.
Nobody is saying there is a one size fits all model, each model or emotional sphere is unique to the person. And yes, I am an artist, and have been since birth. I know how the best works I’ve ever made have come from a deep emotional place, but not always from sadness, despair or anger. Often from a very loving place or from a deep sense of peace. It is true that everything is constantly flowing and changing, especially emotion. My simple point is to recognize anger and hatred as being an entity born within the self. In this recognition, we can change how we direct our emotional energy in a way that does not hurt another.. basically.
Well said. Nice entry. 😉
thanks for this wonderful piece. Keep it up.
Wonderful post! I had to share this on my FB page today because you posted this practically the same day I had been forming a post in my mind about the same EXACT sphere! Then, in reading yours I knew I was meant to share yours and to move on to another idea I had in mind.
This process for me was grueling, but I have made it through and only within the last year or so. It is difficult to watch those I love go through this now, because, no matter what I say or do… they must figure this out for themselves. However, I must thank you for writing this because now those that read it will come to realize they aren’t alone and that the road to unconditional self love and acceptance is hard, but once you accept it for yourself everything begins to make sense. Everything begins to fall into place. 🙂
♥ Love and light ♥
Indeed it is a very personal, inward journey that all must make by themselves.. Glad you enjoyed it! 😉
Always 😉
This is the harsh truth and though it hurts we will cause less damage in the end if we just faced our reflections now instead of continuing to stumble down this bloody and doomed road. Forgiveness, patience, and grace are the keys that will unlock the door of this cage we’ve locked ourselves in. We can all reach the keys and turn the lock, but we are to busy squabbling about who SHOULD reach the keys rather than just working together to free ourselves.
A very harsh truth and a sobering reality. If more would wake up and realize what you’ve just stated I believe that we could turn things around in a very positive direction.
True there are different levels of anger. As you say though, it is all a reflection of ourselves. Experiences do shape us including our prejudices. In theory, once we name the emotion it can lose some of its charge and then dissipate. It takes practice and by naming any emotion including anger it becomes your choice to act on it.
Sue Bock
http://couragetoadventurecoaching.wordpress.com