WHAT EXACTLY IS ANGER?
Anger is a natural negative response to feeling attacked, deceived, or treated unfairly. Every person has this vice innate in him. It’s a part of being human. Although it is affecting the very humanity at large today, it’s not always a ‘Bad Emotion’. Once, someone asked His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji- ‘Is anger justifiable?’ He beautifully explained it through an example-“Suppose you have a child who is not paying attention to his studies and is continuously idling away his time. You have made various unsuccessful attempts to make him understand politely and with love. Now if you don’t scold that child and let him follow the whims of his wayward ways, what will be the outcome? When that child grows up, although sacked by his own callous attitude, he will blame you as a parent for not being strict with him. He would say, ‘As a parent it was your duty to have scolded me for my wrongs and guided me towards right’.” Therefore, anger is justifiable in a few cases when its nature is constructive with the pure intention of goodwill to others. But, it isn’t justified when it is destructive in nature and is shelled out in order to harm others.
Someone has aptly explained Anger- ‘It is like there’s a ball of fire in the middle of my chest that blurts its way straight out of my mouth and burns the people around me.’ Therefore, it not just harms others but because it erupts from within us, destroys our inner-self and harms us more.
Studies have revealed, when the fire of anger is ignited within as a negative response to stress and opposition, it increases the rate of various reactions on our physical as well as mental plains. It is something similar to one of the laws of thermodynamics, which states that ‘Heat increases the rate of a chemical reaction.’ Increase in temperature leads to a disproportionately large increase in the number of high energy collisions. It is these increased collisions which increase the rate of reaction.
Drawing a parallel- Scientists have revealed that when we get angry (expressed or repressed), more negative thoughts crossing our mind rapidly. It is like high energy collisions of random thoughts, hence, resulting in increased rate of reactions, physically and mentally.…
What happens when anger is repressed or suppressed and what happens when anger is expressed? To know this and furthermore, read the complete article in November’16 edition of English Akhand Gyan Monthly Magazine.