Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.
–Robert Ingersoll
A man makes inferiors his superiors
by heat; self- control is the rule. Anger is an
uncontrollable feeling that betrays what you are when
you are not yourself. Anger is that powerful internal
force that blows out the light of reason. Know this to
be the enemy: it is anger, born of desire.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
I never tell my clients to stop being angry. It is an
impossible task. You could not do it if you tried. To
not be angry is to not be human. Anger is a normal human
emotion and it can be very useful when it serves us, not
when we serve it.
Without embarrassment, I can proclaim that I am a
genuine “Trekkie.” A Trekkie is a fan of the long
running science- fiction series
Star Trek. One of my favorite characters on the show
is Data. Data is an android, a mechanical human like
creation who has obtained self- awareness. Despite
Data’s accelerated intelligence and sensational
strength, he lacks emotions. Throughout the series Data
embarks on a quest to be human- to love, to laugh, to
cry and to feel anger. I’ve counseled a lot of people
and it seems many of us are trying to become more
robotic and less human. I’m afraid we have risen a
generation of Data’s, men and women void of emotion,
filled with apathy. We are unable to cry and afraid to
laugh. It is as if our emotional circuitry has been
fried. We are often left with one functioning base
impulse, the emotion of anger. Anger is one gift of our
humanity, but like all gifts we have the choice to abuse
it our use it for the greater good.
Shannon Munford
Daybreak Counseling Service
www.daybreakservices.com
