As I come to the last of the articles on the “Seven Sins”, the economic situation has been overshadowed by the events in Mumbai, at least in India. Not that; people across the world, are not affected. These terrorist actions just reflect the fact that we are in a very interlinked world.
As per the dictionary meaning of wrath we come across the following:
1. Strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.
2. Vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger.
No matter how angry the emotions of the people, there are times when one should sit back and reflect as Confucius said:
“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”
There are two terrorist actions which come to mind, which have had far reaching consequences.
The first, and the most major till date is of course, 9/11. The response of the US in pursuing the enemy to Afghanistan was very justified. However the war on Iraq, also a consequence of 9/11 was probably not. It could be debated till eternity, as to the actual reasons for the Iraq war, however, what can not be debated, is that 9/11 clouded a lot of reasoning. The second major terrorist activity which comes to mind is the killings of Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics of 1972. The wrath of the Israeli people was so great that the then Prime Minister of Israel, Mrs. Golda Meir initiated “Operation Wrath of God” to eliminate all the terrorists involved. The consequences on the focus of the Mossad towards revenge perhaps diverted their attention on all the signals of the impending Yom Kippur or 6th Oct 1973 War with the Egyptians and Syrians.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
Gautam Buddha
While the above are extreme examples for wrath, we experience unreasonable anger sometimes on petty issues. A non appreciation by the boss; a late arrival for an appointment; a sarcastic comment by a colleague are just some examples of petty issues.
We need to control anger as its uncontrolled form could be all consuming.
“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one”
Benjamin Franklin
As per the dictionary meaning of wrath we come across the following:
1. Strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.
2. Vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger.
No matter how angry the emotions of the people, there are times when one should sit back and reflect as Confucius said:
“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”
There are two terrorist actions which come to mind, which have had far reaching consequences.
The first, and the most major till date is of course, 9/11. The response of the US in pursuing the enemy to Afghanistan was very justified. However the war on Iraq, also a consequence of 9/11 was probably not. It could be debated till eternity, as to the actual reasons for the Iraq war, however, what can not be debated, is that 9/11 clouded a lot of reasoning. The second major terrorist activity which comes to mind is the killings of Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics of 1972. The wrath of the Israeli people was so great that the then Prime Minister of Israel, Mrs. Golda Meir initiated “Operation Wrath of God” to eliminate all the terrorists involved. The consequences on the focus of the Mossad towards revenge perhaps diverted their attention on all the signals of the impending Yom Kippur or 6th Oct 1973 War with the Egyptians and Syrians.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
Gautam Buddha
While the above are extreme examples for wrath, we experience unreasonable anger sometimes on petty issues. A non appreciation by the boss; a late arrival for an appointment; a sarcastic comment by a colleague are just some examples of petty issues.
We need to control anger as its uncontrolled form could be all consuming.
“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one”
Benjamin Franklin
4 comments:
Hi Sunil,
Another fabulous issue and thoughtful discussion. I agree with your points about how anger can cloud not only an individuals judgement but an entire society's. In fact your view about the U.S. invasion of Iraq being partly explained by being blinded by anger is a new and interesting perspective.
I would just like to add to your thoughts that anger is not the only emotion that can blind us in such ways, especially in an extreme form. Fear would be another easy one to see. I'll out put out Love. How many people do you know who have been "blinded" by love (or lust)?
In the end, we view the world and interpret reality as we do through an emotional filter. Our reality is what we make it. We do not know what lesson or good can come out of even a terrible act such as happened in Mumbain or on 9/11, or even "everyday" killings.
Larry
The answer, I believe, is a simple one - talk to each other. You will find that everyone is human, with the same fears, desires and needs.
If people had talked to the terrorists rather than hunt them down then I believe the recent events in Mumbai would not have occurred.
I am certainly not suggesting that we simply accept fanatical points of view, but we need to talk to these people to make them feel important, otherwise they commit atrocious acts to get our attention. Had we given them our attention in the first place, their vulgar acts would not have been necessary.
I am a great believer in the quote by (I think) Voltaire, who said "I entirely disagree with what you are saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
If we include all people in conversations and political dialogue, there will be less violence.
It is, of course, an extremely difficult solution and not without its complexities, but I believe at some stage we will have to negotiate and it may as well start now. One life saved is a worthwhile incentive.
Stepping back to your final question and away from the larger political examples, I would say there is little I myself can do to "control" excessive anger. For me, the effort has to be directed very much earlier in the process, to where I do not get angry in the first place. Much of what appears to be "excess anger," at least for the somewhat trivial examples given (being late, traffic, what a boss says or doesn't say) is ego-driven. The farther back I can get from a situation (these people did not all get on the road for the simple purpose of making me late; we all have someplace to go) the less angry any particular situation makes me.
Perhaps we must distinguish between anger for oneself and anger on behalf of someone wronged. While the former is generally ego-driven and often disproportionate to its cause, the latter can lead to constructive action. The most fruitful actually seems to be a combination of the two - as in the case of Ambedkar.
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