Why So Angry?

I have been writing about a lot of deep issues lately—spirituality, life, death, introspection, the tragic devastation in Haiti—and vowed that the next post I write would be one of my funny ones (hey, at least I find them funny). Or maybe a musical interlude that helps take your mind off all of those heavy issues crowding one another on the front pages of the newspapers, Internet, and television news.

I mean, one of the things I have always stressed at livelife365.com is the need to laugh, to enjoy life while working hard and doing all that you can to keep that old triad balanced. Life is often a struggle, filled with heartbreak and sadness. But it is also, more often than not, a beautiful, magical, wonderful experience. Oh, the paradoxes!

But while my funny post never materialized, this did:

WHY SO ANGRY?

I know things seem bad these days, in many ways for many people. To that I say: get in line! Join the club! Deal with it!

Again: WHY SO ANGRY?

Life is life is life. It’s going to have its ups and downs, its highs and lows, its good and bad. None of this is any news, or should come as a big surprise. And I understand that lots of what’s going on in the world is frustrating and totally out of your control, leading me, again, to ask:

WHY SO ANGRY?

Because, the way I look at it, if you react with ANGER to bad situations, to all those lists of things that bug you, you’re going to be ANGRY pretty much all the time. Why would you choose to live your life that way?

I keep hearing the talking heads (no, not these guys) on the tube refer to people and their ANGER, how everyone is ANGRY with that politician so they voted him out; or how this poor guy lost his job and is now very ANGRY; or how this group didn’t get what they wanted and they are described as, you guessed it, ANGRY.

WHY SO ANGRY?

I’m not trying to be argumentative (and, of course, this is making you ANGRIER, right?), I’m just saying: you choose to be ANGRY. The issues in this world that are making you upset and mad and ANGRY will be around long after we are all deep in the ground…life, as I say, is life is life. To get ANGRY at it, no matter how upsetting it can make us, is not the solution. Think about that while you watch this:

WHY SO ANGRY?



Now, where was I? Right:

WHY SO ANGRY?

Take a look at how the dictionary defines ANGER:

1. strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.

And some synonyms: resentment, exasperation; choler, bile, spleen. FURY, INDIGNATION, RAGE imply deep and strong feelings aroused by injury, injustice, wrong, etc.

Wow, pretty intense, huh? Leading me to interject once again:

WHY SO ANGRY?

Here’s how I look at it—I get it, I see the big picture. There is frustration out there: healthcare reform, unemployment, racism, terrorism, bungling politicians, overpaid executives, greedy bankers—I’m not blind or unsympathetic to those issues. But to react to them with ANGER, hatred or anything but trying to seek positive solutions makes you, well, part of the problem.

It’s easy to point fingers, say “I told you so,” and embrace the negative movement propagated by too many for reasons that are beyond me. To basically sit and get ANGRY versus taking action and trying to change things...well, to that I say:

WHY NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

Getting angry serves no purpose. In fact, it can cause serious health problems—heart attacks, high blood pressure, depression, violence. Getting angry is how narrow minded, uncreative, do-nothings react to problems. We all have problems. We all have days, weeks, sometimes years, when things go wrong and our lives seem hopeless. We deserve to be down, right?

“We are judged by how we react to adversity more than how we embrace prosperity.”

Nice quote.

Thank you, I just made it up.

It's good to have passion, to care, to be informed; don't ever stop living your life with purpose. But ANGER? No.

Take all that ANGER, please, and try to channel it, put it to constructive, positive use, and, guess what? You may just discover that you will gradually become part of the solution and not the problem. And, better yet:

YOU MAY NO LONGER BE ANGRY.

Think about it.

Smile.

Until next time...


peace,

Mike

Oh, and here's that music I promised:

"Like a Hurricane" by Neil Young (Acoustic Cover)