The Toll of Anger: Why Getting Angry Isn’t Worth It

Overcome anger by recognizing its many faults and practicing patient acceptance.

Whenever I get angry, I recognize it immediately. Most people do. Anger leaves little doubt when it arises, and it manifests in obvious ways.

Many people become angry, but then do little or nothing to manage it, believing it’s a natural reaction that should be allowed to run its course.

Unfortunately, anger behaves like fire, and a wiser choice is to put out the flame when it’s merely a spark.

Anger grows and spreads like fire, and once it becomes a raging inferno, it’s much harder to extinguish.

Most people erroneously believe anger is caused by other people or events as if they are helpless victims of their own reactions. In truth, anger is always a reaction, and the angry person has the ability to choose not to be angry — if they learn how to control their own anger.

What is anger?

The following is adapted from How to Solve Our Human Problems by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

Anger is a focused mind that identifies an animate or inanimate object, finds it unattractive, exaggerates its bad qualities, and wishes to harm it.