Is necessary to control anger?

Yes, it is very important to control our anger. It is a great handicap to flare up for anything some seem to think they have right to be angry and yell at people otherwise they are having a raw deal or some inalienable right is denied them. Uncontrolled anger could result in injury, damage, offending words, verbal abuse, blows or even murder. Under influence of anger one loses presence of mind, the memory makes slips and operational efficiency is affected. An angry athlete or musician, for example, cannot perform well because of lack of harmony with self. One can say very hurting or damaging words in the heat of anger. Anger can terminate cherished lifelong friendships. In anger we may imprudently blurt out something we never intended to say. Angry words once uttered cannot be taken back. They are like the arrows that fly off from the bow. They are released for ever into time. We may apologize but it will be like doing cosmetic surgery on a ninety nine percent degree burn patient. The uttering of angry words is like the dropping and shattering of a glass jar on the floor. Even if you glue back all the broken pieces it will never be the same glass jar again.

Anger is madness

“Anger is but a brief madness”, as Shakespeare said. It is one of the destructive passions and a great block to communication. It is like a runaway horse which makes the rider totally lose his direction by taking him on a sort of blindfolded ride. It has been aptly compared to a storm because of the havoc it can cause. It is blind fury at times and the devastation it brings about is meaningless but it must have its way like a stubborn child who is accustomed to throwing tantrums. In our saner moments we regret what we do in out anger. Many people say that other people make them angry. This is just not true. No one can make us angry unless we decide to be angry, unless we consent to be angry. At the most others can provoke us to anger. But we have the freedom to respond to the provocation or not. This truth can be observed in daily like. What makes one person does not make another angry. If for example someone insults you with a bad word you might respond by replying with another bad word. Another person might just ignore the insult. A third one might start a dialogue about the hut. The anger is not in the other person. It is in us. It is like the venom fang of the cobra. It can choose to bite with the ordinary teeth or with the venomous fang. If it eats food it will use the ordinary teeth. If it is under physical threat it will use the venomous teeth to immobilize the enemy.

Temptation is vain

The temptation to immediate gratification would lead one to a highly dangerous lifestyle. We are living in an age of instant communication, instant results and instant satisfaction but not everything in life has an instant delivery nature. Learning any skill takes time, perseverance and practice. To acquire a good friend takes much investment in this, communication, trust and caring. Unless one learns the art of self-control in many areas he will be a victim of his own passions. Hence a mad pursuit of pleasure will only paradoxically end in unbearable pain. This is the pain of pleasure.

Pain is health

Pain is necessary and healthy for your life. Trying to evade it altogether by seeking only pleasure will only bring about greater pain. If for example one is depressed because of a failure or problem one may try to get around it by surrendering to drugs. The drugs can take you on a high for some time and numb you to your pains. But when the drug effect wears off you are back in the pit of pain and you need another fix to forget your troubles. You need bigger and more frequent doses to cope with your frustration and soon you become an addict. You cannot do without the drug. This ruins your health and normal functioning. If you try now to stop the drug you have terrible withdrawal symptoms. Deaddiction is a very painful process. If only you could have built up a little tolerance to pain you would not have embarked on the tortuous path of drugs!

No pain no gain

“No pain, no gain” is a wise, old proverb that arose out of human experience of a variety of pains and troubles. Any successful and disciplined sportsperson would attest to the truth of this saying. In any discipline hours of daily practice is the secret of success whether it is in sports, singing, dancing or painting. One who does not submit himself to the demands of regular practice would soon lose out to disciplined rivals and be left behind on the road of life’s failures. There are some things which are known as healthy pain. If for example, you put a finger in the fire it will burn. If you kick against a stone your leg will hurt. If you tease a dog it will snarl at you and if you persist in it you may get a bite. These pains are safeguards against loss lf limb or life. One who does not have these sensations, for example, a leper is likely to hurt himself unknowingly.