Your Anger is Cheap
“That’s my secret, I’m always angry.” — Bruce Banner
You’re mad. Mad about politics. Upset about poor service at the restaurant. Crazy about slow internet service and dropped calls. You’re mad, but that’s cheap anger.
Cheap anger is anger that doesn’t cost us anything. We express our outrage in twitter posts and Facebook rants. We may even snap at the barista, or call the manufacturer to give them a piece of your mind. But that doesn’t cost anything, and it feels good.
I’m tired of cheap anger. Cheap anger is like an inexpensive trinket you buy at a tourist destination. It looks so good, but it’s a hollow, poorly crafted novelty that is supposed to represent a significant milestone but probably won’t make the trek home before its broken.
We have too much “cheap anger” and not enough “costly anger.”
True Anger is Transformative
Genuine anger bubbles up from within. It seethes and burns. Costly anger sparks movement. It changes things.
Anger is a tricky issue because we are conditioned to be polite and genial. We are supposed to have a high IQ and a high EQ.
I am not saying we need to become rude with our coworker and jerks to our loved ones. In fact, I’m arguing for just the opposite.
Costly anger is that which brings change to things that are bringing harm to those we love.
If we become truly angry about young men dying on the corners of city streets, we would mobilize to become mentors and advocate for policies that will produce better outcomes for our youth.
If we were truly angry about the premature deaths of those we love due to poor diet and lack of knowledge, we would force ourselves to read and change our habits.
If we were fed up with the racial division that exists in our nation, we would do more than tweet or “like” provocative Facebook posts. We would address our own biases, learn better ways to communicate with those who don’t share our views and then we would have hard conversations because it’s not enough to be irritated all the time.
Conclusion
I suffer from cheap anger. Snapping at my children. Making snide remarks rather than addressing core concerns. Cheap anger is corny. It’s trivial. But it has long-term consequences.
Just like burning your money on fast-food and gas station snacks will leave you broke. Cheap anger will leave you emotionally broke.
If you want to see real and lasting change in your life, it’s going to cost you.
“Nothing worth having comes easy.’ Theodore Roosevelt
Costly anger leads us to make an impact when nothing else will move us.
It may be time for you time for you to get angry about something.
