If you read the newspaper daily and carefully, you will agree that more than 50 % of its contents concern violence, crime, gang wars, suicides, murders, stabbing. etc. These are linked directly or indirectly to man’s greatest enemy - anger. Be it road rage, jilted lover’s rage, personal or political rivalry, property disputes or terror plots executed by frustrated terrorists and religious fanatics. The result is always damage, destruction or devastation.
Anger is a spontaneous emotional reaction to unpleasant happenings - sometime retaliatory in nature. Buddha says ‘it is like grasping a hot coal with intent of throwing it at someone. You are the one who gets burnt.” Anger has been strongly condemned in all religious scriptures. Anger is also bad for health. It releases acid in the stomach resulting in chronic gastritis, dyspepsia and peptic ulcer. Anger also releases adrenalin which brings about vasoconstriction leading to high blood pressure. Every muscle in the body goes into spasm. You become breathless and red-faced. There is anxiety, high pulse rate and you are in ‘freight, fight or flight’ mode. These symptoms could sometimes precipitate a heart attack. All these bodily changes are the nature’s way of punishing us for getting angry! And yet we find the tribe of angry young men (and now women) ever-increasing in this fast paced stressful world.
A recent report indicates the rising incidences of divorces in India comparable to western culture. Anger causes misunderstandings (as one can’t think rationally and is blind while taking decisions) leading to incompatibility. A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers! Forgiveness is the best gift you give to yourself. It is not something you do for others!
Actions in the fit of rage are always repented. People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing! Anger not only destroys our health, it makes us look ugly. It saps our energy and undermines beauty and charm. It decreases our capacity, productivity, and creativity at our workplace. We are disliked by people around us when we flare up. It also builds up negative energy around us. Anger response is individualistic in nature. Its total elimination is not possible but can be reduced and controlled. The best method to control anger is to learn the art of forgiveness. Forgive and forget should be our mantra.
