Listening to the wisdom for today, at least

[sabrinamari]

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.

~ Buddha

Comments

[elphaba-of-oz.livejournal.com]

Amen!

Anger is like shit. You can't hold it in but you can't hold on to it either. Once it's out you flush it or bury it. Then you wash your hands and walk away.

[siobhra.livejournal.com]

Swinging a sword in anger is like holding it by the balde. Who gets hurt most.

[flamespirit.livejournal.com]

I love, love, LOVE this. I will print it out and use it as a mantra for a while. Thanks :-)

[sligoe.livejournal.com]

I have been trying to impress this upon a friend of ours for some time now. I hope he reads and understands this....he's self-destructing, bit by bit.

[siobhra.livejournal.com]

Anger or hate, if lived with for a long time, can become like old leather or your favorite pair of jeans. Even the finest of silk would feel rough like sandpaper if worn in place of that anger.
Star trek: the next generation.

I took that right from my BOS. When you try to impress your friend point out (and remember yourself) that people get comfortable with their anger. That anger (or any other problem) becomes the norm and to change that is to move into new, unfarmiliar and scary terrain.

[marccarlson.livejournal.com]

Clearly, I'm in a minority here. Anger is like every thing else -- too much is bad for you, but a little, handled appropriately and responsibly it can be a useful tool. Note that the Buddha says that *holding on* to anger is bad, not that anger is bad in and of itself. Hot coals have many uses that don't risk burning us or anyone else. Denying its existence in ourselves is a silly delusion that can betray us at inopportune times, it's wallowing in it that is self-destructive.

[tracyandrook.livejournal.com]

I'll agree with you, if you can turn your anger into something positive and productive.
We found that anger is often fear or pain that does not allow itself to be felt. Quite often people are in situations where to admit fear and pain out loud would really be bad for them, worse than admitting anger. So they take the safer choice, anger instead of vulnerability, to avoid piling fear of shame on top of the fear or pain they already have.