01/11/2014

Righteous anger

The other day, I posted this on my Facebook: “You can accomplish more in a day of righteous anger than in a year of passivity.” And many have asked, “What is righteous anger?” Apparently, it’s not as obvious as I thought.

You know what the words ‘righteous’ and ‘anger’ mean. Maybe you’ve never seen them together, but now think about what they mean. Anger and righteousness are closely related. It’s usually our sense of justice that raises our anger.

When something is wrong, we react immediately. If you’ve ever been cut off in traffic, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You got angry. But if your reaction was to accelerate and cut them off, this anger was not righteous. You jeopardized your safety and that of others. You didn’t act correctly. You didn’t solve the problem. You didn’t improve traffic education—in fact, you made it worse.

The righteous anger doesn’t make things worse. It works furiously, but with intelligence, to correct what is wrong. It’s fast. She is firm. It’s focused on positive results. It stops at nothing. And so, when this kind of anger kicks in, you are able to accomplish more in one day than in a year of passivity.

When you’re angry about something, remember this: anger is a powerful source of energy. It’s like electricity: it can turn on the lights and appliances in your home, or kill you by electrocution. Your anger can be righteous and help you fix what’s wrong or lead you to take wrong attitudes and ruin your life. Everything depends on how you use this energy.

Right now, are you very angry about anything? Then ask yourself, “Will I do anything about it?”

If the answer is “no”, then find a safe way to get rid of this anger as soon as possible. Go to the gym. Pray. Write a diary. Vent to a friend. And stop thinking about it.
If the answer is “yes”, then take advantage of this energy! Focus on the positive results and start acting immediately. The secret is in the “immediately”. It’s now! (Are you still there?)