In a mad dash to react away from the perils of anger, we went too far and lost a key piece of the emotional integrity and expression cycle. This is particularly true in the spiritual community, where peacefulness has been characterized as a symbol of awakening, even if it is inauthentic and a bypass of the unresolved anger still brewing below the surface (‘The calmness bypass’). It’s important to remember that anger is a legitimate emotion that signals that a person has been violated. It is also a necessary emotion if we are going to do the work of sacred activism and challenge existing paradigms that cause suffering. Calm alone will not make the world a better place at this stage. By discouraging and shaming anger, we actually disrupt natural emotional rhythms and encourage inauthentic ways of being. In addition, repressing the emotions simply keeps the anger alive. The negativity goes underground, manifesting in a myriad of destructive forms, including passive aggressiveness, self-destructive behavior and all manner of disease. It is one thing to discourage the inappropriate expression of anger, but let us not throw the whole process out with the bath water. There is a place for healthy anger in an evolving world.
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 03:26:37 +0000