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Guaraci de Lima Silveira |
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Anger – what
feeling is this?
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Is it a dragon
running inside
or a snake
visiting our
mind impelling
us to an
unexpected
reaction, full
of hatred, anger
and rage against
what or who, at
a given time and
that can mark
our lives
forever?
It would be
better if we
could avoid this
feeling that can
cause huge
damage.
Psychologists,
sociologists and
anthropologists
come together in
order to study
this topic in
view of its
recurrence in
our society
through the
individuals who
are part of it.
After all, what
is the meaning
of anger? Which
are the
standards in
which it
established
itself without
seeing the
calmness and
peace so
necessary to the
good morals?
Man comes from
very far filing
deeds and
manipulations,
keeping stories,
raising columns
of bins in his
memory. These
facts, though
immersed in the
unconscious,
once in a while
come to the
surface and,
depending on its
intensity, build
or destroy.
Modern Science,
which still does
not work with
reincarnation,
tries to seek
for valid
contents to
justify how a
peaceful and
quiet and old
aged being, all
of a sudden
turns into an
evil giant and
commits terrible
crimes, as the
case of Mr. Joao
Vicente, a good
and honest man,
75 years old,
who, all of a
sudden, murdered
his wife and two
grandchildren in
a quiet little
village in the
interior of
Brazil, with no
specific cause.
There is the
neurobiology of
the anger,
studied by
neuroscientists.
Amygdala,
hippocampus,
prefrontal
cortex and heart
are the paths
through which
the anger runs.
The amygdala is
a primitive
structure of the
brain that
associates
stimuli to
emotions. It
makes the
connection
between the
hippocampus and
the prefrontal
area. It
connects
negative events
to unpleasant
emotions and it
is of great
importance in
the mechanism of
fighting or
running away. If
we removed it,
according to
research
accomplished in
animals, we
would surely
become docile
and indifferent
to any danger,
because we would
feel no anger
whatsoever.
But the
hippocampus is
characterized by
an important
region for
memory and
learning. It
allows you to
file both
pleasant and
unpleasant
experiences. The
prefrontal
cortex is the
“master” of
higher cognitive
functions. It
allows us to
stop behaviors
that could harm
us, as well as
others.
What emotion is
this that
deprives us of
reason?
Interconnected
with the
thalamus, the
amygdala and
other
subcortical
structures
indicate their
role in
regulating the
expression of
affection.
Finally is the
heart. The
amygdala sends
signals to the
adrenal glands,
responsible for
releasing
hormones in
stressful
situations.
Therefore, lots
of adrenaline,
which speeds up
the heart rate,
falls into the
bloodstream.
Thus the blood
irrigates skin
and organs,
preparing the
muscles for
possible action.
From this point
onwards, there
can be violent
impulses
originated from
the feeling of
anger.
In this study,
we can
understand that
the angry
individual will
most likely lose
his self-control
releasing
adrenaline and
preparing for
action
necessarily
beyond the
limits of
normality. Well
this is the way,
but we must find
the roots, the
causes that lead
us to feel such
an intense rage
that we lose
control of
ourselves.
The journalist,
psychologist and
psychoanalyst,
Glaucia Leal,
recently
commented in a
Science
magazine: "What
is this emotion,
a kind of
momentary
madness which
deprives us of
reason? In
different
degrees, it
drives us into
tantrums, and
makes us do
things, which
when in our
normal state,
even scare us”.
And this is what
we commonly see.
After a fit of
rage, the person
usually says she
does not
understand how
it happened. And
the traffic? Ah,
the traffic!
The other day I
saw a Spiritist
brother, loudly
rampaging with a
driver in
another car
because he had
tried to
undertake him,
forcing his way
through. Yes, to
do this to
someone in the
traffic is wrong
and can cause
accidents, but
the attitude of
that brother was
not at all
consistent with
what we learn
from our
spiritual
mentors and I
was quite scared
with what I saw.
And he cursed,
shouted, and was
red like a hot
chili. I thought
he was going to
have a heart
attack,
according to
what we
previously
mentioned about
the neurobiology
of anger. Some
days later, I
tried to talk to
him about what I
had witnessed.
When I mentioned
the fact, he
went red and his
veins swell. It
was again the
attack of anger,
all over again
by the simple
fact of
remembering it.
In other words,
our angers are
filed and kept
and come to
surface just by
remembering the
fact that caused
it.
This is serious
and dangerous.
The other day
someone passed
away in an
attack like
that. His
already
disembodied
father came to
meet him. The
moment was tense
and the
disembodied was
still in a rage,
cursing, using
bad words that
would scare
Paulo de Tarso
when he wrote in
his Second
Letter to
Timothy: "(...)
avoid profane
and vain
babblings, for
they will
produce greater
profanity". It
is in Chapter 2
- Vv. 16.
The signs of
anger, according
to Paul Ekman
Emmanuel says in
the book
Vineyard of
Light, Chapter
73: "Yap is a
waste and when
it is not, it is
only a dark
current of
psychic poisons,
threatening
valiant Spirits
and entire
communities".
The poor
disembodied
lamented for a
long time and
still begs the
chance to
return, but
rather will have
to work his
emotional
outbursts.
"Stay away if
you think you
can do something
you might regret
in the future,
stay away from
the object of
your anger. Keep
in mind that the
fury passes, but
the damage done
can remain for a
long time”,
suggests Glaucia
Leal.
In the 70s, the
American
psychologist
Paul Ekman
showed that the
recognition of
an expression of
anger or
aggression does
not depend on
the age of the
individual or
his culture. It
acts as a
survival
strategy by
determining
whether it is
time to protect
oneself or run
away. And he
listed
interesting
signs of evident
anger shown in
our face, such
as frowning,
eyes staring
fixedly, lips
tight trying to
contain the
anger, or mouth
opened showing
the teeth, as if
to bite the
other. Often the
face reddens,
the nostrils
dilate, and
breathing is
panting. Often
one lifts his
head and tries
to look down at
the other, his
opponent, and
fills his chest
with air too,
and stands on
the tip of his
toes, as if by
increasing his
stature he
intimidates his
enemy.
Well, at this
moment the scene
is complete and
the actors are
ready. The fight
takes place. And
what are the
results? "After
the peak of
anger, it is
common for us to
look for
strategies to
blame the other,
but the truth is
that we are
responsible for
our choices and
attitudes. No
matter what the
other did - he
did not force
you to do
whatever it
was”, says
Glaucia Leal.
An article
published in the
journal Human
Nature says that
strong men and
more attractive
women are more
likely to show
anger, according
to the
evolutionary
psychologist
Aaron Sell, of
Griffith
University,
Queensland,
Australia.
According to
him, these
features work as
social
permission for
people to go
beyond their
irritation. In
their concept,
to be strong in
the case of men,
and attractive
for women,
provide them the
right to become
angry and
therefore become
winners due to
their physical
gifts.
Is swallowing
anger dangerous?
The English
psychologist
Mike Fischer
believes that
uncontrolled
angry reactions
are more linked
to lowered
self-esteem and
dissatisfaction
with oneself.
This is because
the internal
state of
dissatisfaction
with oneself
causes a level
of increasing
stress that ends
up by bothering.
Reaction over
reaction form
tortuous paths
when these
habits induce to
violent and
destroying
attitudes. We
will hereby
mention
opinions, which
show that to a
certain extent
they agree with
anger, as in the
case of Emuly
Butter, of the
University of
Arizona, Tucson.
According to
her, "One must
not swallow this
anger because
people who
repress their
emotions are
less capable of
solving
intellectual
challenges. They
have more
difficulty
memorizing
details of
emotionally
significant
experiences. In
interpersonal
relationships
they also do not
deal with them
very well”. We
agree in part.
Indeed, to
swallow anger
can be
dangerous, but
to jump on the
one, who caused
it, can also be
dangerous.
Therefore,
self-control
together with a
more detailed
analysis of the
facts is still
the best.
Do you
remember the
amygdala and
prefrontal
cortex mentioned
earlier in this
article? Well,
according to
neuroscientists,
the amygdala
tries to hijack
our strong
emotions and
throw them into
the hippocampus,
which will
promote the
consistent
reactions with
the intensity of
emotion. But the
researchers are
advising us to
do the opposite,
namely, hijack
from the
amygdala its
action and cast
it to the left
side of the
prefrontal
cortex so that a
cognitive
analysis is
made, calming
down and
directing it to
a peaceful
solution. Try to
do this.
Incidentally,
Chico Xavier
told us about
the water of
peace.
Do you remember?
Joanna de
Angelis, through
Divaldo Franco,
sent us an
important work
entitled:
Existential
Conflicts.
In the third
chapter there is
a study about
anger. We will
use here her
valuable notes:
"Anger is a
feeling that
expresses itself
every time the
ego feels hurt,
and it releases
this enemy that
destroys man’s
peace. It
installs itself
unexpectedly, in
the light of any
express or
hidden conflict,
unleashing
violent blows of
injury and
aggression”. "In
other words and
following the
reasoning of
that Mentor, we
can say that
anger is a
dangerous object
to deal with.
Sometimes it
helps and in
many cases it
makes things
more difficult.
All that is
repressed tends
to loosen up
Some say that
anger can
promote social
changes by the
non-acceptance
of existing
impositions,
thus generating
movements that
release.
Can anger
benefit us like
this? Or only
due to the fact
of feeling anger
do men come
together for a
social change?
Let us see what
Joanna de
Angelis tells
us: "Inherent to
all animals, and
in the human
beings, because
they are the
carrier of will
and insight,
anger is
responsible for
disorders that
can blur their
reason and
disturb their
balance,
producing
emotional damage
of small or
large range,
depending on the
extent and depth
contained. When
there is the
primacy of
aggressive
instincts on the
being, then
before any
unpleasant
incident, real
or imaginary,
he prefers
harmful
situations with
reckless
agitation, the
results of which
are always
regrettable, if
not fatal”. Here
the Mentor uses
the structure of
the collective
or individual
unconsciousness
formed since our
ancestry and
through the
ages.
Again we turn to
Joanna de
Angelis and she
tells us that
"Silence in the
face of
disturbing
circumstances,
not allowing the
invasion of
mental
firecrackers
brandished by
the opponent, is
an indispensable
feature to
prevent the fall
into irritation
and its
consequent
damage”. And she
also tells us
about the
psychotherapeutic
resources saying
that the careful
psychotherapy
will remount to
the conflicts
dormant in the
unconsciousness,
and both may
have been
generated during
childhood or
during
adolescence,
when they had
the right to an
explanation or
justification of
an act committed
or in the
primeval era
when the being
could not quite
resolve its
conflicts and
frictions.
Emmanuel tells
us that they
outbreak of us.
They leave us
asking for
solutions.
Hence, parents
and educators
should take care
to listen more
to the children
and teenagers.
They lack this
attention from
adults. Great
problems could
be avoided by
this procedure
when they reach
adulthood. All
that is
repressed tends
to loosen up
violently.
This issue is
really exciting
and needs to be
constantly
studied and
discussed in
schools,
community
centers,
churches,
religious
temples,
spiritual
centers and the
media as a
whole. It is
time to improve
our social
cohabitation. It
is time that we
align with the
new era that is
arriving. It is
time to leave
definitively
these terrible
and unfortunate
reactions that
show weakness
and insecurity.
If someone slaps
you on one
cheek...
Self-control is
the key to the
solution of this
great problem.
And here we also
include
vigilance and
prayer. If an
opponent turns
up in our patch,
let us enforce
the evangelical
maximum "Quickly
make peace with
your opponent
while you are on
the way with
him”. Jesus said
that in case we
do not do this,
we may be
delivered to the
Judge, to the
Minister or to
the Officer, who
will hold us and
we will only
leave after we
have paid the
last cent.
Through the Law
of Action and
Reaction we know
that our
opponents are
all and
everything that
takes our peace
away or that
disturbs us in
our comfort
zones. They
arise from our
mistakes in the
distant past or
even in the
present. But
reincarnations
are stages of
spiritual
growth, so they
will always go
back to the
platforms where
our freedom is.
For this to
happen, today’s
man needs to
disarm himself.
To try and live
better and with
physical and
spiritual
health, avoiding
excessive loads
of adrenaline in
the body, which
will certainly
decompensate the
perfect
functioning of
one’s physical
body, God's
tabernacle, as
we were told by
the Apostle
Peter in his
Second Letter to
the Christian
community.
"The key to
being in a
permanent state
of connection
with our inner
selves, or our
expanding
consciousness,
is the desire to
feel it at all
times. This
practice can
intensify our
progress,
transforming our
lives. The more
we guide
ourselves to our
inner field, the
more the
vibrational
frequency
increases in the
same manner as
light becomes
more intense
when we switch
the dimmer(1)”,
tells us Eckhart
Tolle,
University of
Cambridge, in
his book The
Power of Now.
Joanna de
Angelis tells
us, closing the
chapter on anger
in her book
Existential
Conflicts
that we must
discipline our
will, educate
our feelings and
adapt ourselves
to new healthy
habits essential
to a healthy
life. And Jesus
told us: "If
someone slaps
you on one
cheek, turn to
him the other
also”. And the
other side of
the face will
always be the
one of love
before hate,
peace before
war, union
before discord,
forgiveness
where there is
offense, joy
where there is
sadness, the
truth where
there is error
and light where
there is
darkness. And
further,
paraphrasing the
Saint of Assisi:
it is better to
console than to
be consoled, to
understand than
to be
understood, and
it is dying for
the harmful and
primary
reactions of the
Spirits that we
are born for
eternal life.
(1)
Dimmers
are devices used
to vary the
intensity of an
electric
current.
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