Anger, he smiles,
towering in shiny metallic purple armour
Queen Jealousy, envy waits behind him
Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground
(Jimi Hendrix)
So now I head down to Phoenix, which is harder for a guy without a car. A 150 miles of heartless desert and with a heavy pack on my back I…okay I took the flipping shuttle. Sometimes the simple ways are best. More expensive, yeah, but at least I will be where I need to be, which for today is at my Photographer friend Kurt’s. I’ll be doing a Sharestorm follow up visit with him before I head of to more distant parts.
But this brings me to the topic of this post. ANGER. Why am I taking the shuttle when I bought a new Forerunner straight of the showroom floor, back then I had sparkling credit? Why don’t I have sparkling credit for that matter? Why am I without the job I had with ripping benefits, why can’t I stay in the place I paid to upkeep for over ten years, and why am I not allowed to see my kids?
I bet you’re thinking I’m about to say that all this makes me angry. I suppose it does, but the reason I do not have these things is become someone else couldn’t control their anger. I suppose this is the wrong place to discuss this or is it. Let’s steer it away from my egocentric self, I think that will help.
What is anger all about? Step one, do animals feel anger? Have you ever seen a pissed off dog? Still if you kick a dog and it bites you, is this due to anger or is it due to an instinct for self-preservation? I’m not a biologist, but I think anger is felt by animals and might be a reaction to someone challenging an animal’s ability to survive. Humpback whales and dolphins have been discovered saving seals from Orcas. Perhaps one could argue that anger stems from self-preservation, but can become more defined as an emotion separate from the act of pour survival, which grows stronger the more mentally advanced a species becomes.
Humans have evolved into beings with complex emotions. Also, our needs, wants and desires are much further removed from basic survival. What was once a process to help physical preservation has now become a method for mostly social preservation.
The mother elk kicking the wolf away her calf is now the angry office worker badmouthing their co-worker behind their back, because of an ill perceived statement at the last staff meeting. I think an interesting issue to investigate would be if emotional anger has increased in cultures/areas where physical violence has become rarer. One could add the anger is now also much pettier. Getting mad at Ned for getting the promotion instead of you is a far cry from hating the invaders who killed your whole tribe while you were off hunting.
However, the chance to defend your honor in any manner other than pissy words is dissipating. As the ability to smack an offensive knucklehead becomes increasing more difficult due to the state using any excuse it can think of to not only rob our wallet, but also steal any dignity we have left, we’re all required to be a bunch of belly aching angry wimps mulling over the minutia of other’s ill behaviors. Or maybe we don’t.
What’s my point? Anger has, over the past few decades, gone from a basic instinct of self-preservation to self-centeredness. Since we have five times as many cops as we could possibly need and cameras at every intersection, we have to bury our pride and listen to whatever bullshit any loser feels like spewing on us. My Viking ancestors are rolling in their grave.
So what’s the answer? Just don’t play their game. Don’t get sucked into some petty, two faced, back stabbing, cry baby war of words. Most people live in a fantasy land of imagined wrongs based on man-made BS which didn’t even exist a few decades ago. Other things remain more constant like jealousy, gender based struggles for power and recognition, and competition for, well… everything.
Remember humans aren’t as important as we make ourselves out to be. We’re the animal that destroys the planet the best, whippidoo. Sure we have tech, art, and rise above the base, but can we breathe under water, spit venom, or fly? No, so relax a little.
Sometimes anger is right and justified. If someone tries to damage you and yours, they deserve a world of hurt. Otherwise, ignore the hater, these days they are most likely focused on human constructs which are half real at best, fade in an out of existence, and are based on ill-conceived ideals. So, rise above, screw the angry person and go take a walk in the woods, breath in a little True Environment, ground yourself, and realign your priorities.
We are in charge of our own emotions and life. Take responsibility for yourself and don’t let the words of anyone you don’t respect cause you to disrespect yourself. You’ll thank me later.
Did this post make you Angry? Don’t worry I’ll make it away from the cities and calm down soon.
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