Anger's Illusion of Clarity

Of all the emotions, I would say anger interferes the most with clear thinking, and therefore objective exercise of will. In other words, as a karmic reaction, it is more persuasive in our choices than other kinds of karma in our Intimate Environment (Ch. 2). I attribute this to the fact that being angry makes us think we are thinking clearly (sometimes, we think it is more clearly than normal), when in fact we aren't really thinking at all.

When we are angry, especially with others, we are more prone to saying things that we later regret than when we are under the influence of any other emotion. But regret comes in retrospect only, when the anger has passed and we are thinking clearly once more. Until that happens, however, the tendency is somewhat the opposite: to feel that what we are saying is "baring our soul" or "coming clean" and telling someone exactly what we think.

Now, anger is an alternative to fear. It drives the fight part of the fight or flight response that all animals, even humans, feel in response to a threat. For most of us, that threat is usually to the self, and therefore illusory, but that is a topic for another post. However, it is a threat, and if we are going to respond to a threat by fighting, we need to be sure we can win that fight. You can't go into battle with doubts, you have to be single-minded so you will give 100% to fighting for your survival.

However, this assurity that serves us so well in the jungle does little in the world of ideas mistaken for things (Ch. 2). Instead, it drives us to say things we don't mean, to hurt our relationships (sometimes in ways that cannot be fixed), and ultimately to hurt ourselves. However, the idea is not to try to combat one's tendency to anger, but rather to be aware of it, as it emerges, and to maintain the awareness that it is clouding your thinking, no matter how you may FEEL that the opposite is true.

We all feel anger, but we do not need to take action in response to it that will create pain for others or for ourselves if we remember it's nature, and act accordingly.

Jim