Anger is Not Sin or “Wrong”
Anger is a feeling in our body that arises when something we value is in jeopardy*.
It is a message from our body that we need to pay attention to what is happening around us, and possibly do something.
Our choice of what we do with our anger is what makes all of the difference.
I attended a workshop led by a celtic shaman** in which she categorized our responses to anger as “life-affirming” and “life-corroding.”
Life-affirming anger is when we choose to act in ways that honor life and lift us up. This could look like taking action on the matter that is making us angry, choosing to go to a protest, having a conversation with the person who wronged us, etc.
Life-corroding anger slowly eats away at us (like rust corroding a bucket) and destroys the connections, community, and life within us. Life-corroding anger looks like someone reacting with words solely intended to hurt (instead of repair), staying silent and letting the anger brew within us, and more.
These explanations of anger make sense to me.
I can easily and readily apply them in my life. When I feel angry, I honor that emotion by understanding WHY I am angry, and then I select how I would like to respond.
