End Suffering on Anger

by Richard Wooldridge

     Anger is an extremely self-destructive emotion. It seems to affirm the existence of our phony, non-existent, invented self. I can scream out in rage over “my” stupidity for making the same mistake over and over again or I can lash out at someone who I believe has wronged or challenged my imaginary picture of myself in some way. I can say, “They’re the one to blame for all my troubles and difficulties! How dare they suggest something different.” We always tend to have self-flattering but inaccurate images of ourselves.
     In Conquer Harmful Anger 100 Ways, Vernon Howard defines anger as this: “Anger is the mechanical reaction of the thought-self which feels that someone or something threatens its imaginary existence which it calls real, causing human damage and misery.” This booklet goes into great detail of the harm that anger causes and how anger can be conquered. It is not an impossible task to conquer this destructive emotion, which is great news. We can put an end to this detrimental behavior.
     What we must start doing is to see clearly the harmful effects that anger has on us and others who might be around when the volcano erupts. If you will study your angry state carefully, you will see that it causes you to lose energy, puts you in distress, results in you doing stupid things which you later regret, leads to despicable behavior, wrecks human relations, leads to loss of self-control and gives you headaches. Vernon Howard says when you allow anger to take you over, it “imprisons your spirit.”
     But with a right attitude and a desire to live freely, we can begin to turn this fateful path around. We no longer need to keep paying the price for going along with this foreign invader that has taken us over. In a 1956 movie entitled Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, alien plant spores fall from space and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time. The pods were able to take over humans and duplicate them when they fell asleep. Anger can be likened to these intruders which take over the human mind, body and emotions to wreak havoc.
     Instead of falling asleep we must learn what it means to wake up and to take our lives back from these extraneous plunderers/interlopers. See through the trick that’s being played on us. Develop spiritual daring and “… discover the goodness of the Spirit of Truth, which will carry you above yourself and humanity.” This isn’t just another platitude or saying; it’s something you and I can authenticate and experience personally for ourselves.
     When I was a little boy growing up my father emphatically instructed me to never put my hand on the electric stove. Of course, in spite of your father trying to protect you and save you pain and treatment if you were to burn yourself, you usually had to find out the hard way why his warning was so unequivocal. Truth is like a strong father who looks out for our well-being, but we stupidly ignore the warnings and instructions of what to do and what not to do and so pay the painful price.
     Anger is just one of many wrong negative states that we have allowed to take us over. All we have to do is have a sincere wish to no longer want to suffer from these agitated anomalies. Being enraged is not natural but over the centuries it has become an abnormal acquired behavior, and everyone has excused it, given it false power and allowed it run amuck in our daily lives. We must stop putting up with it.
     It’s time to change and be different. Vernon Howard assures us, “Use wrath to get rid of wrath. It can be done because you are wiser than wrath.” There is such a thing as strength without anger. Discover this true and verifiable way for yourself.