THE FIRE CALLED ANGER

Are you aware of what a forest fire is?

It is considered to be the most common natural disaster eating up our evergreen cover. Forest fires basically start with a friction between dry leaves which in turn cause a spark. This spark takes a humongous form engulfing one tree after another, gradually growing in size. The undergrowth is also not spared. Thus, large forests are burned down naturally leaving behind ashes. The nature of fire is to consume and it has a never-ending appetite. So is the case with anger.

Anger is that strong emotion of displeasure aroused by a wrong or a wrath. This feeling is so strong that it weaves and generates destruction all round. It wreaks havoc. One breaks things, picks up quarrels, and commits homicide in a state of anger. Psychologists say that when we get angry, we cease to think about everything else but the cause of it. It’s quite true as through experience, I can say that when we are angered, a fire literally passes through our body. It seems as if our insides burn out, our head feels like bursting, our hands roll up into a fist and our teeth clenches. We become a representation of a miniature devil from down under. However, one fact stands firm, anger is outrageous and downright evil.

So, how do we manage this evil emotion?

1. Firstly, do not utter a word when you experience anger or you will end up hurting people around you.
2. When angry surround yourself with people you trust and who care for you as that will prevent you from hurting yourself.
3. View the cause of your anger from a different perspective other than your own.
4. Condemn anger if you see it formulating in another person by distancing yourself away till the person is calm and receptive.
5. Use words that are soft and not grievous as that can stir up anger. One needs to understand the intensity of the situation and not heat things up.
6. Be swift to hear, think before speaking and maintain calmness.
7. If you come across a person who is often angry with you, make sure you treat him well so that you heap coals of fire on his head.

In this connection, the words of William Shakespeare ring in my ears – “Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot, that it do singe yourself.” Anger can only be overcome with goodness. It should be nipped in the bud for as long as she lives, she continues to be the fruitful mother of many happy children.