“A string of reproaches against other people leads one to suspect the existence of a string of self-reproaches with the same content.” ~ Sigmund Freud
Have you noticed an increasing level of anger lately, whether in yourself or in others? Does it feel like everyone’s angry switch is stuck in the “on” position? We’ve held onto petty offenses and grudges and resentments and in some cases, outright rage, like a lifeline and we refuse to let it go. We’re mad about the government, we’re mad about taxes, we’re mad about leadership, we’re mad about church, we’re mad about inflation and housing and crime and immigration and Israel and our neighbors. We’re just mad. We feel we’ve been wronged and we’re quick to lash out.
I’ve been chalking it up to a nagging case of spring fever, ongoing political unrest and uncertainty, and simply having access to more information — most of it irrelevant to us personally — than we are mentally, emotionally or spiritually equipped to process daily. There’s also the concept that “so goes the leader, so goes the culture.” If our leaders — those we follow (think about that the next time you “follow” someone on social media) whether elected officials or celebrities or ministers — are spewing angry rhetoric all the time, we will likely be angry, too. It’s just human nature. There’s a reason the book of Proverbs is loaded with warnings like, “make no friendship with the angry man…for you may learn his ways and be caught in a snare.”
Anger is a potent, powerful emotion. It’s contagious and addictive. You might be surprised, given its intensity, to learn that anger is actually a secondary emotion that masks an underlying feeling, one we might be less likely to expose to the world, like fear, guilt or sadness.
Anger directed outward is often a reflection of self. In psychological terms it’s called “projection,” and it’s not a new concept. Jesus talked about it with the speck in the eye parable, Paul wrote about it in his letter to the Romans. We blame others for the very things we ourselves do, want to do, or have already done. If we have the capacity to be honest with ourselves, that little checkup can be as startling as an ice bath.
Anger is a normal human reaction. It can enervate us toward positive change and improvement, give us courage to escape a bad situation or prompt us to come to the defense of those who cannot defend themselves.
Sustained anger, however, is not normal or healthy. If anger is our drug of choice we find ourselves going around in circles of endless futility, getting madder and madder all the time, often about things that have no relevant impact on our lives.
