For much of my life, I reveled in the seeming power of righteous anger, channeling my intellect and creativity into fiery condemnations. After a while, I began to notice the toll it took on my sleep and well-being, paired with a nonstop churn of dissatisfaction and lack. And then I decided I wasn’t meant to live that way, that I’m worth more than that. While anger must be felt and processed, I no longer believe it must be deliberately inflamed, through constant definition, categorization, and judgment. I can feel that rage, make peace with it, allow it to reintegrate, and get back to doing something productive.
Musings
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21 responses to “Musings”
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Righteous anger is named in such a way as to make it sound good. Something we ought to feel.
But is any negative emotion good for our wellbeing? -
When I was younger, people would come to me with problems, and I would very quickly give them a solution. Then I would go on to tell them about other problems they hadn’t even asked about. [And some might observe that I still do that.] Those people then told others that I didn’t suffer fools gladly – as if I was belittling them on purpose. It wasn’t that; I just didn’t have an “off” switch in my head – or perhaps the nouse to use it. Others, of course, have their own ‘chief feature’ and also have to learn to turn it off – or at least tone it down. That feature doesn’t have to involve negativity, but so often it does.
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Yes, every suggestion for improvement is an implied criticism. Giving advice is a minefield best avoided, outcomes can be bad whether your advice is taken or not. Best to just smile.
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Yes, if asked it’s harder to avoid, especially if it’s in your area of expertise. And especially since it is gratifying to the ego to be needed and valued, at least in one instance. And, of course, if it’s serious and you actually can help then you must, devil take the hindmost. But be aware that no good deed goes unpunished.
I still occasionally feel “righteous anger”, but it no longer generates as much psychic energy. Much of my younger sense of “social justice” turned out to be blind support for scapegoating. Doubts about the accuracy of my map of Reality has diminished my drive to correct or even to address most situations. I guess I only feel “righteous annoyance” these days. Sometimes Outsiders are better off staying on the Outside.
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I can relate. Seeing how good turns to bad and bad turns to good has encouraged me to be a bit more patient with immediate developments.
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Anger is corrosive to mental and physical health even when justified. I’ve struggled with finding the reason, uses, and evolutionary place of this emotion. I know it’s allied with hatred, another emotion that can grind away inner peace. I’ve needed to withdraw from following the news in this new age of fascism. I try to walk more, breathe deeply, pet the cat, look at the creek, do physical therapy, make soup, play bass guitar. There is nothing I can do to affect this coming and continuing fall except to try to take good of myself mentally and physically. I can’t change events but I can try to control my reactions to the fascist Trumpite assaults, the floods of hatred online, the ongoing attempted Russian subversion of the West and of our fragile semi-democracy. Thanks for reading and liking my post.
Kent Wayne 
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