End Suffering on Outrage

by Laureen Fulton

Definition of Outrage:
A strong feeling of shock, anger, or indignation caused by something perceived as unjust, offensive, or morally wrong. Example: Public outrage over corruption.
Simply turning on the television or checking our phones for the latest news headlines can trigger outrage. The corruption and wrongdoing on display often appear overwhelming and endless.
The first point for the spiritual student to understand is how damaging this unchecked emotional state is to our overall well-being. Outrage negatively affects physical health, contributes to headaches and migraines, clouds mental clarity, increases the likelihood of accidents, disrupts relationships, and makes peaceful sleep difficult or impossible.
Authentic spiritual work is self-work. When outrage arises, it is important to observe that we are no longer simply aware of the emotion; rather, the emotion has taken possession of our full attention and inner state. In such moments, we are not directing the experience — the experience is directing us.
Just as we would not knowingly invite a destructive presence into our home, we can learn not to invite outrage or other negative emotional states into our psychological home.
Although outrage can create a false sense of vitality or power, it actually drains our vital, God-given energy. Outrage, commonly expressed as anger, is not genuine strength. It is weakness masquerading as power. Careful observation reveals that feelings of outrage and anger leave us depleted rather than strengthened. Authentic strength arises from quiet awareness, not by continually falling into a state of inner hostility that inevitably explodes outward. Recognizing that I need not fall into this trap opens up the possibility of responding in a much healthier and more intelligent way.
An important insight comes from Vernon Howard’s Conquer Harmful Anger in 100 Ways, in which he states, “Outrage is first in-rage.” This statement points to the psychological origin of outrage. Outrage is not created by external events but emerges from an inner condition — an underlying in-rage already present in the psychic system based on feelings of powerlessness. External corruption or wrongdoing merely provides the stage upon which this hidden emotional disturbance becomes visible.
The “old nature” refers to the thought-based identity that we habitually call “I” or associate with our personal name. From this standpoint, we experience ourselves as vulnerable and easily threatened. In contrast, our true nature is spiritual and rests naturally in a state of calm command. The part of us that feels helpless, threatened, or enraged has no ultimate reality and therefore requires no defense.
When we refrain from both defending and attacking, we create an inner stillness from which clarity and genuine assistance can emerge. As Vernon Howard observed, “the perceived threat has no power because it has no target.”
Another essential point is that there is no intelligence in outrage or anger. One of the most pervasive psychological errors is the belief that the cause of our suffering exists entirely outside of ourselves. This misunderstanding provides a continuous justification for outrage and sustains the emotional disturbance. Intelligence arises from a state of quiet knowing rather than from emotional agitation. If we are to respond wisely to the conditions of this world, we must first avoid falling into the collective emotional reactivity that characterizes mass outrage.
While it is necessary to acknowledge that this world is a very troubled place, it is equally necessary to understand that outrage is an inner state. Because it arises within, it is also within that it can be dissolved and replaced by calm and clear understanding. Anger and outrage block clarity of mind and sustain confusion, whereas inner clarity removes its influence.

In Summary
Outrage, anger, and other negative emotional states are harmful to both physical health and emotional well-being. Such reactions, regardless of their form, are not necessary for clear perception or ethical understanding.
It is possible to recognize wrongness and understand it accurately without becoming outraged. Indeed, outrage contains no intelligence. Confusion cannot resolve confusion. Genuine intelligence emerges only from quiet awareness.
Outrage is not produced by the external world but is an internal condition. Consequently, the work of transformation must occur inwardly. When inner disturbance is observed without resistance or indulgence, it gradually releases its hold.
Peace is not something that must be created or achieved. It is appears naturally when emotional disturbance is quietly seen and allowed to dissolve.