More and more acts of violating fundamental human rights, the destruction of our natural environment and, in general, our civilization in crisis, trigger anger in us that can no longer be suppressed and ignored, as it may bring a threat of an uncontrolled outbreak and/or revolution as a result. 

You cannot wait with anger

Regardless of the causes of the world situation, there is HERE and NOW that makes us feel as if the proverbial knife is opening in our pocket. It is no longer enough to analyze childhood, belief systems and countless other reasons why it is happening. There is the present moment in which we feel anger about which we have mixed feelings of, because on one hand - we have been taught to suppress it, "as it's bad and ugly" but on the other - its level is already so high in reaction to the reality that it is physically impossible to sweep it under the carpet anymore. If we do it, we might get a heart attack or either start shooting blindly in a fury or go with an axe to slaughter those responsible for what's going on.

Both extremes do not seem to lead to good solutions. In the first situation, we harm ourselves (although as a consequence - not only ourselves), in the second - we do not actually eliminate the problem, but only find a temporary outlet for intense emotions - even the most justified ones, and cause an avalanche of further issues without realizing the essence of the matter.

But our anger cannot wait. It is a beautiful natural force that empowers us to act if we control it, but not if it controls us. However, how to manage it if so much here and now makes our blood boil?

Recovering energy from the tsunami

To make our anger constructive instead of destructive, we first need to face it inside ourselves and feel it. Feel, or take it to ourselves, to be able to fill our tank with the energy obtained from it for later, when there is time to act. Only in conjunction with deep inner peace can anger provide purposeful, targeted, constructive action. Blind fury can only lead to destruction.

When looking at the news we are flooded by a wave of anger, instead of pouring it onto the household members or other innocent souls, we need to consciously and deeply breathe in the first place as anger tends to shorten or even take our breath away, which reduces the effectiveness of our possible subsequent actions for a good cause later. We also need, as fully as possible at such a moment, to disconnect our attention from external reality and focus it on our inner self. Alone with ourselves. And breathe. As deep as possible at this point. And allow what is happening in our body. And breathe. If possible, let's find the most comfortable position in this state - as relaxed as possible. Why? The tighter our muscles are, the harder it is for us to bear such a wave. The body will "tell" us when it is best for us in this situation. And breathe. Keep breathing as steadily as possible, even though we think we are about to suffocate. Even in a challenging breathing situation, we can always consciously slow down our breathing, allowing the energy of anger to flow better through us.

The power under the hood

The thing about the wave is that it has its peak and minimum moment. As long as we withstand its pressure, it will pass and give us a rest. Each wave received in this way leaves a trace in us in the form of recovered energy and greater clarity of mind. This power and clarity will be useful when making decisions and acting about our cause in future events. It's worth transforming our anger into "the power under the hood". Nobody can do it for us.

It is unknown what will happen in the future, but whatever it might be, a focus and adequate assessment of a situation coming from a quiet and clear mind and our actions' concentrated effort may turn out priceless. If anger is boiling in us anyway - let's use it wisely and fill our "tanks" with energy coming from it to act constructively when the time comes.

Our anger has its origin, but we can not focus on understanding the broader context now when the more urgent need is to take care of what is most alive in us today and calls for immediate attention. When an arrow is stuck in our body, it doesn't matter who shot it, from what type of a bow, angle and at what speed. We just need to deal with it right now.