(ThyBlackMan.com) There are a lot of angry people in American culture. Road rage, bullying, threats, intimidation’s etc. all fill our twenty-four hour news cycle. The anger we witness daily claim victims on every level – from children to the elderly. Not to sound like a political theorist, but there is no simple answer to that complex question. In fact, the most plausible response sounds oversimplified: people become angry when they don’t get what they want. Or, to paraphrase the historian Herbert Butterfield, when we think things should get better, it’s infuriating when they do not.
So what do we do? First, we try to understand why and how so much anger exists in American society. How do people generally become angry? Then we attempt to understand our own personal anger (which requires that you admit you are angry about something).
There are many, many causes for anger, but the challenge is to deal
with anger positively and realistically. Here are three reasons why people are angry and what to do about it.
Political Anger
This is the type of anger pundits and commentators cite as central to the rise of political figures and movements (most recently Donald Trump). This is corporate anger and is palpable at all levels of our society- from bullying on middle-school campuses to marches and protests for and against our government. To be sure, every society in human history has had dissent and revolution as its foundation in some form. Political anger, though, threatens the very existence of a peaceful society.
What to Do:
Two words: get involved. Don’t be angry for the sake of being angry; channel your anger toward the achievement of peace and justice in some form. If nothing else, educate yourself on the issues; know who your elected representatives are; volunteer with a community-based organization. Better yet, become the spark for a movement for positive social change. Ghandi once said, Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.
Relationship Anger
This is the anger which seethes at the seat of a person’s soul and acts as a catalyst for anger directed toward the opposite sex. This is shared anger. One of the worst things that can happen to an individual is to lose faith in the opposite sex. A lot of anger that people carry around stems from a relationship or marital break-up; people often leave relationships bitter, broken and angry.
What to Do:
Socrates was spot on when he quipped: The hottest love has the coldest end. Understand that hurt people hurt people. Don’t just move from relationship to relationship without giving attention to your mental, spiritual and emotional well-being. Take some time off; date yourself. Explore what it is you really value, both in and out of a relationship. Journal your daily thoughts and experiences; it’s a great therapy for facilitating change.
Dream Anger
The failure of our dreams to see fruition could be considered the basis of all anger. This is personal anger. When dreams die, anger sets in as people seek to blame others. Some of us dream about the perfect relationship; making lots of money; having the body that most would envy or even our children growing up to become productive men and women. We invest our time, money and emotions in the good life, but, for whatever reason, those dreams flame out.
What to Do:
Keep dreaming. Most of all keep moving toward your dreams. The imminent scholar Dr. Benjamin E. Mays wrote, It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. Never look at your dreams as having failed, but just in need of reinvention. Don’t be afraid to try again.
Don’t be conquered by your anger!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.