The Anger Epidemic

The Anger Epidemic



     I just finished writing a class on the anger epidemic.  All you have to do is to watch the news to see the results of it.  It's shocking.  I'm all for personal freedoms, but when you are taking those out on others, that's not o.k..  What happened to "Love Thy Neighbor"?  Time seems to travel in cycles, things come in, then go out.  I'm hoping the rampant anger and hate go back out soon!  There have been other periods of time with such angry, hateful events, but it is still disturbing to witness.  People don't seem to be satisfied until they "destroy" whoever it is that they are angry with, jealous of, or just plain don't like.  That only comes back on you eventually, the saying goes:  "Karma is like a rubber band; you can only stretch it so far, before it comes back and smacks you in the face."

     Maybe some of the fundamentalists are right, and taking religion out of our schools has left our following generation with no moral compass.  When my generation saw these things happen, or had such thoughts, we knew that they were "bad".  That we would hurt someone, or get hurt ourselves, by acting out on angry, hateful, violent thoughts.  I don't see those personal checks happening with some people.  I think it begins with ourselves personally.  What we let ourselves get away with.  Are we loving and kind to others, or do we refuse to accept anything that we don't like, or is different from what we are used to?

     People are abusing animals, other people and themselves.  There is so much anger and violence so often now, people are becoming numb to it, and it's becoming acceptable to the fringe who lean that way.  There is so much abuse happening now that the media can't even keep up with it.  It's still wrong.  What is right?  Thinking before acting.  Trying reason and dialogue.  Trying love and compassion.  Walking away from an explosive situation.

     Anger is not the best way to deal with anything.  It can be deadly.  It can be a sign of dysfunction.  To be so self-centered that you bulldoze over everyone else, is a personality disorder.  We used to know that love was the answer.  Love could cure the anger epidemic if people would use it.  Doing anything because "so and so" did it is what children do; not what adults are supposed to do.  Vengeance used to be something taken when someone killed one of your family.  Now, it can be for something as small as someone said something that you didn't like!  When you are that vindictive, you are hurting yourself by running off anyone who may have been interested in you.  People do seem to have a serious moral crisis right now.  The kids I grew up with would have never acted out like young people are doing now, for fear of our parents, or of God.  We mostly, with a few exceptions, didn't want to hurt anyone, we'd rather make friends.  We didn't want to get hurt ourselves.  We would go "walk it off" or punch a wall or pillow or just scream when we got too angry, and let off the head of steam.  I'm not sure how the level of violence that we have today came about.  Were their parents not involved?  Did they grow up without a religion or system of beliefs to guide them morally?  Did their parents do these things?  Should they have been shipped off to the Peace Corps or something?  Abusing anything or anyone is the ultimate outlet of pain.  It can lead from abusing to killing in some cases.  Usually angry people have come up in angry homes.  If you are taught that it's alright to run over everybody else to get what you want, then that's what you'll do.  If you are taught that it's better to talk things out and come to a compromise, then that's what you do.  Stop and think before you lash out in anger next time.  Ask yourself, "What would be the reasonable, or logical thing to do about this?"  If you believe that God is love, then what should you be sending out to others?  Having compassion on your neighbor like the Good Samaritan did, is so much better for us all, than kicking him to the curb, or ignoring him and walking by.  Think before you act.  That would help to cure this anger epidemic faster than anything else.


Rev. Angelia Schwarz Coleman, PhD.E.
Minister Works of Heart
Executive Director Healing Families' Lives, Inc.
wohwomensministry@gmail.com