Anger: what are you doing with yours?

In some Eastern Philosophy Anger is seen as being based on Ignorance.

Ignorance over several things.

Firstly in a very simple way to explain, that "the person" or "Event" or "situation" or whatever "Out There" that makes you angry is seperate from yourself.

The illusion of Duality.

Secondly the Belief that whatever, like above you are angry at is inherently like that, lasts forever is always and inherently exactly the same, as when the conditions of all the things coming together to make the event you are angry at, is still like that now, or will always be like that.

The person who abused, or stole, or hurt you is always that way themselves, that the "universe" will ony give you bad luck in an accident.... we get stuck in the past and keep re living it.

Even though the earth provides us with food and shelter and a home, if you are injured or loved ones lost in a natural disaster we forget the love it shows to us now, and since the event, and just focus on that one time.

We stay angry at the person who was violent, though whilst we are they could be showing real love and compassion to a small child now.

The ignorance or not seeing clearly of change or impermanence.

This is also in the merging ourselves in the experience of the anger, becoming one with it, not seeing it as seperate from ourselves, and realising that it will in itself within us pass much sooner, and be replaced by other feelings if we dont dwell or hold onto it. Our own experiences change to and are not "Forever" or have any permanence.

Another Ignorance is seen as a lack of understanding of the law of Karma, that in that philosophy if you dont want to hurt the only way is to stop being angry, as being angry at some time in the past to someone else caused them pain by your actions, so what comes around etc.

So if you want to look at anger and Deny Ignorance a well trodden path is to be found in the Buddhist philosophy, and I am pretty sure those well known philosophies were part of the seed for the original motto of ATS itself, mixed in with enlightenment of what is really happening or the truth of things as far as the topics of the Boards are.

Kind Regards,

Elf

reply to post by MischeviousElf

Food for thought, thank you! This is (I think) where I was heading with my thoughts, though I hadn't quite worked that out myself, when I posted...

I want everyone to get MORE angry; People in developed nations are way too passive and reactionary.

I don't know how western "culture" created a such a huge void in humanities conscience, but we really are all sick #$%# for being able to enjoy anything knowing there is a child sex slave trade in the world.

If we all got angry enough, and put enough resources into the fight, we could stop the sale and abuse of children. Until we do that, Family Guy and American Idol will remain evil distractions that are surely earning us a place in hell; real or metaphorical.

Will developed nations ever even begin to prove that they are worthy of their luxuries and abundance? I'm having a hard time believing that is even possible.

HOW can American Idol be more enjoyable than saving children from slavery, how?! If as many people dedicated their attention and will to something real and useful, just think what could be done!

[edit on 19-10-2009 by maus80]

reply to post by LadySkadi


My anger is under control now.But It was a different matter twenty two years ago.Something happened to me on two occasions which was very strange,very frightning and really hard to exspain.The first time someone made me angry.It seem like within seconds my streagth increased to a point where i was able to twist and total destroy a portible tape recording device with my bare hands.I twisted it in half within seconds like it was made from paper.It was a metal casing recording device and i twisted it like butter.Afterwards when i carmed down my hands hurt really bad.Nothing was broken.On another occasion someone made me angry and i could not only feel myself getting stronger but felt my body changing within seconds.I had a force going though my body like a strong electrical shock and it was so powerful i nearly lost my balance.I felt my muscles increasing within seconds.It was like i was changing into something else.People ran for cover as they said afterwards they seen my muscles moving and increasing in size before there very eyes.I hope i never have that experience again.Where does the increase streagth come from.How do muscles change shape like that within seconds.I have really no idea what happened here.Can anyone explain what happened.

you do not know what anger is until some donkey called you with nothing and catch the only card that can save him on the river.

reply to post by LadySkadi


I like the poem S&F

Deny ignorance is also used by ignorant people, think about that for a while.

I have a tremendous amount of anger. However I deal with it by compartmentalizing it. It is the only way one can have the determination to attempt to modify the things that generate the anger and keep it controlled so you don't as they say "go Postal"

I am an old goat.. I served involuntarily during the Vietnam era and even though I did not get sent there, I was at the same risk of being sent as any of my contemporaries. Although I was drafted, I realized during my 2 years in the Army that so many Americans made the ultimate sacrifice during times of war...in order to preserve the American dream for future generations. That I see the America so many fought for being flushed away by a generation of people who, for some reason I cannot comprehend. think government is the answer to their problems instead of being the problem is almost too difficult to bear.

America was built by people who knew the value of individual responsibility , it is being destroyed from within by a generation of people who seem to think there is a "free ride". I currently am living in Moldova, one of the ex-soviet republics. I am constantly asked by people here why America is turning socialist when they just managed to throw off the chains of a socialist dictatorship and are just now breathing as a relatively free people. What do I say to them when they see the shining beacon of freedom that was America being extinguished by the same mentality that trapped them for so many years??

Personally i do not bother with most people, i just tell the truth. If ignorant people cannot stand it, you can stuff it. What happened to me in my life, should of had the perpetrators in jail, but they can live there lifes freely and in peace.

The way i see it is the world wants that scum they can have as much scum as they can handle, and the innocent people should not do anything, thats my motto.

Without aNGER we wouldnt be able to defend against injustices.
Anger is a good thing as long it doesnt become self-destructive.

Thats the plan, to leave you defensless, so thats why "they´re" trying to devolve anger.

Be angry, just dont be hating. Anger is the main weapon of the intellectual mind

Hmm...I dont think anger is what I feel when in disagreement. There are a number of feelings associated when I feel there is someone or some entity wrong, ranging from amusement, disappointment, cynicism, frustration, apathy, etc.

Anger I save for a few occasions in life that affect me directly. A good example would be:

Joe the internet guy says the country is now a place of thieves because his party didnt win in the election and he disagrees with the other partys philosophy.
How does that effect me? it doesnt, Joe is entitled to his opinion and frankly, the more I try to prove that the elected party isnt thieves, the more joe will resist. So, smile and let him rant...its how he deals with loss overall. (amusement)

Jane the army brat came on TV and said that the UFOs that a entire city watched and videotaped was just some flares and the population overall asks no more questions and simply accepts. This is frustrating that first off the army lied, but I also note that the public was so ready to accept it that perhaps the army knows the general plebs arent ready yet considering the reaction.

I deal with negative emotions overall by finding something to laugh at, pat my dog, and playing left 4 dead (nothing like a zombie apocolypse to brighten your day)..I also recommend kissing someone as a stress reliever.

and besides, one day we will all be dead and the time we lived considered a silly time in humanity with our money and politics and all that nonsense.

Anger is "the monster," or at least, that is how my mother referred to it as when I was young. When I was a boy, I was very domineering and used to think I was superior to other students and teachers, and I had a nasty temper. I was practically unteachable, and I thought everyone was full of garbage, and I knew it all. So needless to say, my early school years were fraught with misunderstanding and anger.

My mother told me that I had to keep the monster chained up or I would never make it. How right she was, and how wrong was I. It was an uphill battle, but she let me tackle the problem myself, rather than going the route of counseling and medicinal alternatives. Which I staunchly oppose, and consider to be borderline neglect, in some cases it is reasonable, but I think there is a recent trend of parents becoming far to dependent on that approach rather than actively parenting and working with the troublesome child. By all costs leave the medicine and shrinks alone if feasibly possible. It only exasperates the problem if it isn't necessary, and in many cases, it is not!

My mother was a parent, and knew that I was just a defiant boy with an ill-conceived superiority complex, and knew I would grow out of it over time. I have a hard time imagining how she knew me better than I knew myself at the time? With her help and guidance, I have been able to transgress the ills of my youth and become a well-rounded adult. Through patience and self observation, I have been able to keep the monster chained and subdued. In other words, when I was a boy, I dealt with my problems with checkers, but now, I use chess.

I guess my inability to accept things for face value comes from my defiance as a youth, because even then, I questioned everything my teachers tried to ram down my throat. As an adult, I have a tendency of looking at things from outside the box and am quite inquisitive.

Anger is an Achille's heel. It needs to be suppressed ". . . by better angels of our nature," as President Lincoln once said. Sometimes, the monster snarls, but it is in captivity where it belongs and will remain. Anger is inside all of us, however, as my grandfather once told me when I was young, "We are the masters of our own mind." We decide how we channel our emotions through our minds, not by our environment or others. Only with thought, we can react reasonably rather than irrationally.

Only through rational thought and logic we can circumvent the perils caused by unbridled anger. This is something I use daily, as an adult, when faced with aversion and conflict. Why give our opponents the satisfaction of seeing us break and lose our composure? Through the use of rational thought and logic, I am able to accept views of others with seemingly little reservation when my views or reactions are baseless and unfounded. In other words, I am no longer stubborn when I have to admit I am wrong.

However, just as a kettle blows its top when it is filled with excessive steam, people are the same. People need to learn how to properly exude that negative energy by hopping in the car for a drive, going for a walk, exercise, reading, watching a movie, or the simple art of conversation with someone you trust. It is unhealthy to keep that inner pressure bottled up without releasing it from time to time in a proper and controlled setting. Sometimes our anger is like baggage, and we have to just put it down, and move on. You know, "Get that monkey off your back, you'll feel better." So, yes, like others, I have had to tackle with anger on this journey we call life.



[edit on 19-10-2009 by Jakes51]

Nope, no anger here its a soul weakner that prevents you from reaching you total potential as a human. Times I do get angry I convert it to another form of energy.

reply to post by LadySkadi


I curse them...join me in cursing my neighbors

Originally posted by reject
reply to post by LadySkadi

 

I curse them...join me in cursing my neighbors

You have to be careful, as the bright as a cardboard box people we call neighbours may call the police and put you on a terror list.

No one on earth has had worse neighbours than me, ever.

well, I just signed employment documents of a FOIA lawyer.
to go after those models NIST says proves the demise of WTC7 as
a fire brought down a 47 story building. I requested the models Nov. 2008. and to this date they are still holding the models, in legal limbo.

anyone want to contribute to this legal cause should donate at
ae911truth.org

in the comments: put FOIA WTC7 Legal Fees fund.
all excess funds will be dontated to Police and Firemans Health Fund NYC.

I'm not sure where you are seeing the "anger epidemic". It could simply be because i am just seeing words and I do not attach emotional value to them. I confess i don't venture to some of the odder threads though.

I think people need to understand it does not mean someone is angry with you simply because they disagree with you.

reply to post by LadySkadi


At the moment, I'm fuming with my anger. What I'll ultimately end up doing with that anger is still up in the air and open to possibilities.

Certain individuals who assume an air of imagined authority over me and my life, thoughts, dreams, ideas, plans and hopes tick me off to the highest degree. I like to talk about how these types of people have nothing but an imaginary hold over my life and yours. But as long as we all sit back with our scaredy cat mouths shut in fear of repercussions, the longer it goes on.

Who knows what benevolent creative energies may never come together to form a lasting improvement on the current conditions existing because everyone is so AFRAID TO MAKE WAVES.

Admittedly , I spent many years angry, at everything and everyone.
I've been here a couple + years and nobody on here aside from a couple I speak to off site, have ever really seen the true nature of my anger. It ain't pretty.That being said, it's still nowhere near how used to be. I was angry everyday..nothing made me happy. To this day I rarely smile.
I can bottle up little things, sometimes. Occasionally I can channel my anger into something more productive, like searching for a solution to the problem.
I'm a grudge keeper by nature, vindictive, and usually once you tick me off real good- I'll write you off and you're done. My policy is three strikes and you're out..for all situations, big and small.
I believe anger is most of all, fueled by those whom you surround yourself with.
What you see and hear becomes what you feel.
I have tried to surround myself with a higher quality of people, those who have more insight, and it makes a world of difference.
This poem, sits on my kitchen counter:

Desiderata
~~~~~~~~

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.


With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

----------------------------------------------------
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

reply to post by LadySkadi


I get upset and I am in anger occasionally though I now know what to look for, and the answer comes from within. I find this process hard and blunt for I tend to find things that I do not like and some of which I am not proud. Nonetheless I am grateful that I find "whatever" it is that I find... and that comes from within.

The poem is beautiful and revealing to those who find it so.

Thank you LadySkadi

[edit on 10/19/2009 by awakened sleeper]

Originally posted by LadySkadi
Anger: what are you doing with yours?

Baking and cleaning, mostly.