Anger...

Random late night thought I had...
Feelings of anger and wrath are interesting emotions we feel. What I find interesting is our actions when one is feeling anger. Anger can come about in many different situations, ranging from arguments to reactions to other people's actions. There have been times when I'm upset and angry that I do and say things which I don't mean. Most notable that I am aware of are arguments I had with my mom. I found that when I got older I use the logic side of arguments to help me win or show my side is valid. Although to my dismay I use it in a very nasty way. I use the logic to make the other person realize how wrong they were for what they did and how my way makes sense and how the reverse makes no sense whatsoever. I even did this even when I was in the wrong and the scary thing was how I still won the argument. Unfortunately, I learned at how nasty I could be was when I made my mom cry not once but a couple of times. After those times I am more aware of when I'm in arguments to be mindful of keeping my anger in check, to some it may seem like I'm overly sensitive and guilty, or even admitting defeat.

There are times when we are angry that we may say or do things that don't make much sense. At times we may be "in the heat of the moment" when we say certain things and sometimes those things may or may not be hurtful. My previous example was I used hurtful words. Some people may say that if you never meant to say something why did you say in the first place? An interesting thought and would be better if we all gave some thought before we spoke. If we really tried to understand the other person or use empathy perhaps we would not be so upset or angry. Perhaps the act the person did may not have made sense or perhaps it was a way to get your attention as they may have been feeling left out. Or perhaps there are deeper things going on that may be difficult to discuss during an argument. In an ideal world we would all try to speak with a gentle tone or in a non-accusatory way to better gain insight for the action that was taken. As the reader I would like you to recall the last argument you were in and reflect on the times you were in the wrong and when you were in the right. In arguments we tend to request less and demand answers more as we are upset with the act that occurred. Now when you were asked why you did something if the reason was embarrassing and you knew you would be ridiculed further for it would you truly state it? Just an interesting thought we all should try to take next time we get into disagreements. 

An interesting thing about anger is that one can wield it as power against another. When I made my mom cry I found that I abused that power quite badly and was shocked that I did so. I was shocked because I did not know that something so dark could come out of me, since given my personality I would not expect to do that to anyone to make them feel terrible. An interesting thing I read is you can judge a lot from a man by the way he wields power. The example I read was observe how he treats people in the service industry ex. waiters/waitresses and does he treat them well or does he abuse the power to make himself look good. A quote that comes to my mind is by Abraham Lincoln "nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Just some thoughts I had on this late and stormy night, I should get to bed as its late.....