Just don’t confuse
The light and heat
Helpless in our anger
Courage borne of anger
Delivers none from sorrow.
Anger begets violence
Upon body, mind and spirit.
Violence begets harm.
Harm begets sorrow.
On victim and
Instigator alike.
Ever so, this cycle of suffering,
Helpless in our anger.
In a session with Marilyn yesterday, a variation of the first couplet came into my consciousness…and stayed there several hours, until I got home and could take it up.
Helpless in our anger….we burn in the heat so as not to harm another, or is it akin to anger born out of helplessness?
Good questions, Antoinette…
Mmmmm… “Helpless in our anger” — so long as we dwell in our anger, allow anger to characterise not just our response to events but our state being, we are doomed to remain in the cycle of anger/violence/harm/sorrow, and are helpless to end it.
That’s why we cannot end anger (or vent it from our system) through violent expression. Anger/violence/harm/sorrow… repeat.
Anger is its own kind of destructive anguish. Its own kind of pain.
Violent expression ……violence begets violence…..we have seen too much of that in our torn world. I was taught that anger is an honourable senteniel, standing watch at the border posts of our psyche. When these borders are invaded or violated, the senteniel of anger gives the rush of courage needed to defend and restore what has been violated, with the honour of a soldier. When the senteniel charges out in attack, he not only wastes the courage given to effect changes, but thereby leaves borders unprotected. Thus attack doubly weakens. The senteniel of anger is a worthy ally and necesary for maintaining a safe and sound life, don’t you think?
Well…. I left this reply a bit long…
As a sentinel, anger is one of many that serve us.
But the alert he raises concerns an internal state of being, not an external one.
So long as we recognize, then the alarm can be useful.
There are several layers of consciousness available to us. At the lowest level, we are asleep. At the tripping of the anger alarm, we look outside ourselves for the external factor which caused the alarm. Once we identify it, we then choose how to respond on the external conditions.
At the next level, we are semi-conscious. We take the step above. Then, once we identify the external factor, we look inside to see whether our anger has merit, what that anger means about our own mental state of being. And then we choose how to respond on these various internal and external factors.
At the next level, we are fully conscious. We sense anger, and know that it is only mind and ego. We look within ourselves to find its source. Then, if necessary, we look outside to find what external factor triggered that pattern of thought. And we use this information to transform our thinking.
At the final level, we attain enlightenment. Enlightened beings don’t get angry.
Most of us are asleep. Few of us are fully conscious.
Which means we often misread the sentinel’s message, and act on the wrong set of conditions.