Anger. Raw and powerful. It starts wars, drives us apart, and opens doors to immense suffering. In fact, in Buddhism, anger is often thought of as one of the “Three Poisons” or “dvesha”. Certainly not something to be trifled with. It’s a volatile form of energy, thought to rise from attachment and the need to protect our sense of “self” and our ideals. Right now, I think that we can all agree that the world is filled with anger, but what if this didn’t have to lead to destruction? What if anger was instead an opening to compassion and awakening? It’s a duality worth exploring.
Frequently, we are told “don’t hold onto your anger”. In the right hands, however, I would argue for a different approach. Pick it up and take a close look. Anger is a teacher and can inform us. But with anything you cling to too tightly, it can also consume you. One can lose themselves in the wildfire that burns and destroys indiscriminately. However, if you can carefully move the anger to arm’s length, you may be able to examine this emotion with curiosity.
While the flames of anger smolder, think of using mindfulness as the oven mitts that allow you to safely hold anger and work to decouple the raw energy from an impulse to destroy into something that propels us forward to work towards change. Slow down and notice. Invite openness. The Buddhist tradition teaches us to follow the “Middle Way”, a path of moderation that avoids one extreme of suppressing anger (or “denial”) and also avoids venting it (or “aggression”). Both these extremes fuel the destructive and wrathful side of anger, whereas the center path allows for awakening.
In the face of a world that is scary, unjust, and downright tragic in so many ways, it is important to develop and recognize our feelings surrounding this. Anger will very likely arise. Lean in and listen. Now, instead of letting this lead you down a road to despair and hatred, funnel the power of anger into transformation using wisdom and skill. If anger is your sail, let compassion be the wind that pushes the ship forward into healing and repair. You will ultimately be the one who decides if you sink or swim. Which will you choose?