Don’t Decide in Anger
Awhile back I wrote about stories I would make up about the grains of the mahogany in the headboard of my childhood bed.
The wavy lines were roads to villages where people had feelings that came in colors — anger went from red to orange.
And in the villages, they couldn’t see when in my mind I’d change the universe. On joyful days, I’d see the wood in shades of purple. On quiet days, it would be blues to greens. Rarely there would be yellows. On angry, lonely days I’d see it go from red to orange.
Red to orange. How I remember that feeling.
Anger is a lonely place.
In the response, a friend, brad4d, spoke of wisdom and anger…
“Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind” ~ Rabelais ~ means to me, anger erases wisdom.
How skewed my thinking becomes when I feel angry. I lose sight. I lose perspective. I forget other people. I lose the wisdom and love of a lifetime. I lose the person I want to be.
Most times, I’m far from anger. Those days I’m a decent human being.
I know we couldn’t do it forever — I know we couldn’t all do it simultaneously.
But . . .
What if just once a whole bunch chose a different color? What if instead of the red of anger we chose the gold of compassion? How wise might the world start to be?
We can change the world, just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.
. Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.
Gosh, Liz… This is beautiful. It sounds strange, I know, but:
has a romantic rhythm within…
I’d add to your words: anger is eating you up and feed up hate too. Anger will put you down. Anger is your enemy. And there was nothing, ever, good coming out of anger.
Hi Mihaela,
Anger is only anger in the same way that fire is only fire. Both can harm us, especially if we stand inside them — they will consume us.
Pure anger, I think, might have a place, but I’ve only touched it once. All other anger I have known has been anger plus . . . when anger has self-doubt, insecurity, or other emotions as part, it’s a nasty cocktail.
Anger can, when harnessed to a single purpose loosen chains and beat back oppression… but at such cost. Anger in our day to day living has little purpose, use determination and be well informed of all points of view to further yourself, your objectives or your business.
“Anger is a lonely place.” How haunting and true. Liz I love that you “see” colour.
Hi Ruth!
Anger bears a cost. Rarely is the cost worth the result. It’s a metaphor best left there.
Easy, I don’t write nearly as well as you. 😉
I totally agree that it should remain metaphor…And… you write beautifully and with enormous versatility, I do believe I am an acquired taste. 😀 having fun with it though.
Hi Ruth!
Let’s go in a room and compliment each other to death. 🙂
When I’m angry I don’t see color. I’m not sure I see anything. I become consumed by the anger. It’s almost like the “real” me is floating next to the angry me and can do nothing but watch the train wreck. As for beating back oppression, as Ruth brought up, I think passion, conviction and maybe righteousness are powerful tools that can hopefully be better harnessed than anger.
Hi Terri!
I used to do the same thing. Then someone asked me this question . . . “What do you think would happen if you put your feelings back inside you?”
It was a most powerful question. It changed my life in an instant. 🙂
Late to the conversation, I know. But, I read it and couldn’t leave it…you do that to my brain a bunch 🙂
But I like red…a lot. I speaks to be of passion, love, and excitement. And I like bunches of other colors too. And it seems unfair to blame the colors for our hang ups…so what if we all decided to choose a different emotion…the red of passion instead of the red of anger?
Liz – you are so good for my brain and my heart. I’d stay in a room and compliment you anytime!
Hi April!
Never late . . . always welcome. 🙂
You make a good point. I’ll go with your view of the situation. 🙂
I’d hate to banish red from the world altogether — even in a metaphor. 🙂