ANGER - External or Internal

One might get angry because something has happened outside one’s body that has triggered anger. This is external irritant. It can be anything, government increasing service tax, or traffic signal not functioning or an irritating email from your boss or a unsolicited marketing call. These all are external factors that might cause anger. One may ignore it or decided not to react or accept it with pinch of salt like the increased tax. Not reacting or ignoring individuals might cause anger in those individuals but that’s fine. External sources are easier to handle, just by ignoring. But internal source is most difficult being within.  

One of my friends’s good looking; fair complexion daughter got married to a dark complexion, kind of ugly looking Sri Lankan in USA. My friend got angry sitting back home in Mumbai while the source was situated in USA. Very often when India loses a cricket match, being played in some part of the world but watched on TV back home, the anger flares up at home, thousands of miles away. But these situations can be handled. My friend went to his favourite Baba (Spiritual Guru) for spiritual solace and the one who was upset with India’s loss went to a nearby pub. Spirit was involved in both the cases but of different kind.

Someone busted crackers in Srinagar after India lost the T20 match to West Indies in 2016 WCC. The crackers exploded and the outbursts were at far off places. The source delivered what it had to. It was intentional and damage was contented at the source but not elsewhere. This was because the source was external. If the source is internal then the situation is catastrophic. 

Imagine a gas cylinder exploding. Source and outburst are at one place. Leakage of gas causing damage is different than the explosion at the source. If one gets angry with self then the damage is of high order. Anger can damage the individual, destroy the individual. The individual may harm himself/herself if unable to harm others. And this depends upon the individual. A bully can vent anger on others and cause damage to others and including self damage. A weak hearted person may harm self but not surrounding or others. He/she may try to inflict injuries on self, may try to commit suicide which is meek response to self anger. Anger on self should give a new direction to life and should be taken as a difficult lesson. Mistakes happen, nothing wrong in that. Everyone errs. All decisions cannot be right. Cool down, it's not the end of the world. Be a phoenix and start once again with more zeal and enthusiasm. Shade the guilt and be happy.