Sometimes I’ve heard people comment, “It’s so easy to get angry.”
I like to pushback on this suggestion of ease in anger, for it is illusion. It might feel like it’s easy to instantly react with anger, but the long-term consequences are far from easy on one’s health and happiness.
A mind embroiled with anger is generally associated with a person who is unpleasant to be around. The angry attitude is often accompanied by undue stress, strain, tension, maybe frustration, resentment, and other depressing attitudes that are unhealthy for mind and body and relationships. There is little positive about harboring seething anger.
Loving thoughts, however, have a far better impact on outlook, health and happiness.
To forgive, for instance, not only releases negativity from within, it touches others with love that can bring reform.
To look for the good in another, rather than focus on short-comings, can bring out your better side and theirs.
To acknowledge the power and presence of God, rather than indulge selfish ego, can bring healing to the situation and take everyone to a better place.
To work for peace, rather than promote further strife, is good for everyone.
It’s not easy to be an angry person at all. The suffering it brings over the long-run is detrimental to health and happiness. The short term “high” a person might feel from getting unreasonably angry is gross self-deception. It is evil and brings negative consequences.
It’s much easier to love.
It feels good to love. It is wholesome to love. It is healthy to love.
To love, is to let God govern your thought and inspire your words and actions.
To love does not mean you are ignoring evil and pretending like it doesn’t exist. It means you are applying the might and power of God to the situation to bring reform, if needed.
God is Love, and God always knows best how to remedy a trouble.
In all your relationships, let the Mind of Love govern your thoughts, words and actions, and have no friendship with mindless anger.
Let everyone around you feel the touch of divine Love. You’ll find the effect is far better than anything hurtful anger could ever simulate.
As Jesus Christ taught, “Love one another” John 15:17.
Tks so much Evan. I was pondering those ideas all this week for a specific situation.
I was wondering how to bring those spiritual ideas in my concrete experience on this personal issue and this story of the monkey came to me. Some monkeys are really interested by food. If you want to easily capture them, so you have to place the food they like on a coconut (or other stuff) with a hole just big enough so that the monkey can pass his hand. When he catchs the food, his hand becomes bigger than the hole so that he is enable to remove his hand from the coconut. You can finally catch him because his will to have the food is bigger than his freedom. He could let the food, remove his hand and leave far from you but he terribly wants his food that he keeps it in his hand.
So to gain freedom we have to let go off resentment, frustration, anger and so on.
Thank you detaille…great analogy!
Thank you, Evan. This can certainly be applied to all of the unrest in this post election situation in the United States of America and the rest of the world’s unrest. Thank you for your deeply inspired thoughts. Consecrated prayer is the only answer.
Thank you Evan,
Just what I needed !
Perfect!
So many good points, Evan! I also believe we need to be outraged at Lies, Injustices, Inequalities and Misuse of Power. If a country or a people sits blandly by and lets evil and deceit overtake its leaders, we will have done ourselves and our country a great injustice. Anger over wrong and evil doings is well-placed as it can inspire Action. I believe so often people think Anger is wrong because of what people Do with their Anger. Anger can be used to inspire Peaceful Protests, to motivate People to take appropriate Action for Change and to wake people up from sleepy denial and a “Peace at all costs” attitude. I believe that Anger in and of itself is not wrong or bad. It’s what we choose to do with that feeling and we can choose to let Anger motivate us to Wake Up and to Take a Stand and To do Good Works for our Country and Our World.
Evan, we need this post.
As a child I suffered terribly when a family member would go off in tirades of anger. It was like being in a fire. I looked up its definition, and I discovered that the root of the word anger means hate.
Nothing but nothing good comes from hate. There’s no power in it, no presence in it, no need for it. Love is the only power.
People often cite Jesus’ casting out the money-changers as an example of righteous anger.
I just read this on JSH, By William P. McKenzie
From the May 11, 1918 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. He saw Jesus’ motive as the same as David’s when facing Goliath,– a righteous indignation that anyone could possibly go against the power of God.
Everyone else had been too cowardly to stop the corruption at the temple, but Jesus got busy and cleaned up. McKenzie writes: “Had he been a mere fanatic his anger and self-righteousness would have aroused answering anger and riotous opposition; but the calmness of courage means the support of Principle, and the peace of good humor expects the support and good will of men. These characteristics must have been evidenced by our Master, for the invaders of the sacred precincts slipped away without any recorded disturbance.”
GOOD HUMOR. Ha. People were so grateful that someone finally stood up to those profiteers. Protestors who try to arouse anger and hate for others, arouse anger and hate in the opposition. But protestors like Jesus and his follower, Mary Baker Eddy, stand up against injustice with incredible courage and love, knowing God, divine Love, does the work. They win over with tenderness and healing power, inspiring it in others, and win the right.
Super! Thanks for sharing Diane.
Always love your brave comments Bevi…
My question, which i continually ask myself, is
Who is determining what or who is evil….Someone evil to you may be a blessing to someone else
with respect and love………..
Thanks Evan for the great thoughts on anger. I really appreciate your viewpoint Bevi and sometimes anger can seem like a great motivator to right wrongs. I too get “angry” at injustices in our government, country, and the world and while my first instinct is not always to pray about it and see the truth about the situation I always end up doing so in the end. Sometimes my prayer comes sooner rather than later but I also listen for the correct action to take after I have prayed about the situation. It truly is inspiring to see the mostly peaceful protests going on with people’s “anger” channeled in the right direction. Hopefully more citizens will be more involved in the election in 4 years to right their perceived wrong outcome.
Thank you Evan. And thank you detaille for your very interesting comments. We must let go of the material perception in order to gain the freedom that spiritual understanding gives. Love releases us from fear – fear of the material consequences intertwined with the material laws, while love releases us to the truth of our spiritual nature as spiritual understanding. That is my take away from todays post and comments. It is exactly what I needed today.
Thank you Evan. I try to ask myself throughout the day “Am I doing/thinking what God is doing/thinking?” For example, if I’m angry, I ask myself “Is God angry?” I have to answer “no” to that question and therefore if I’m angry I try to reason out what am I thinking that is not what God is thinking that is causing me to be angry?
This is not to say I have to turn a blind eye to error. Christian Science doesn’t advocate a “see no evil” approach. It advocates a “see (understand) why evil is unreal” approach. So if we see some injustice happening, we can choose to act out of anger (i.e. a hate of injustice) to remedy the situation. Or instead, we can act out of “a love for justice, truth” to right the situation. I think it’s better to always act from a “love of something” rather than to act from a “hate, anger, of something”. The end result my “seem” to be the same. But I think acting out of an anger/hate of something just reinforces the idea that something is real. Whereas acting from a love of something (the opposite of what we might hate or be angry about), results in us realizing more of what is true of God and His creation in our experience.
Excellent observation Brian! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Trey, for your insights and understanding into “anger”. I think what Evan is talking about and what I mean when I use the word, “anger” might be a matter of semantics. When I say, “anger”, I’m talking about feelings and thoughts that well up inside of me when I am subjected to unjust actions or words or when I am aware of unjust actions being done to another. This is a natural and right response and comes from a deep atunement or intuition to Truth and to knowing what is Right. Some people haven’t developed this intuition to the degree that others have or have suppressed it to due to not wanting to “see what’s going on” for fear of then having to deal with it. In other words, a convenient “denial” of what’s in front of them. They have allowed someone to manipulate their perception, to control it, and have virtually given their power away. I know Mrs. Eddy talks a lot about what happens to people and society when they don’t have the ability to see “evil” or animal magnetism at work and are content to just rest in bland denial. And she makes it very clear that This Isn’t Christian Science. It takes a lot of courage to see the secret and subtle manipulations of evil and then to be willing to handle them with Truth. But the first step has to be to see it. And if there is denial, due to all kinds of factors, then the evil continues to spread. Both Jesus and Mrs. Eddy talk about “handling serpents”. This is probably the hardest part of Christianity and Christian Science and the one that is least talked about now, as people don’t like to hear about it – because it takes courage, work and dedication and people would rather just keep things “status quo”. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we in the United States and those in the rest of the World are dealing with the mess we are in now……???
Right on Bevi! You make some great points.
There were cattle standing around. The author of the article felt that the scourge was used to get the cattle moving out of there — not used on people.
Which makes sense for one who healed the ear of the soldier sent to arrest him.
Thanks, diane…..that is sooooo Good and helps bring a different view. What I don’t understand is why then did Jesus make a whip out of some cords and “whip them out of the temple…”??? It looks like he did use physical force to remove those who were using His Father’s House to make profits by selling things. Perhaps he realized he needed to deal with them on terms they could understand……??? If he had just prayed and asked them politely to leave…….would that have worked? Actually, I think he WAS Angry and he knew it was OK to “love righteousness and to hate iniquity”. When Anger arises in us, it can tell us a lot about what we really believe. We do need to be careful with how, when or if we express it and to make sure that we don’t inflict further injury on others. Anger can also tell us if maybe we are not loving ourselves and haven’t dealt with some pain deep inside. Anger can tell us if we are frustrated because we aren’t allowing ourselves to be and do what we know we are really capable of. It could be a part of us that is saying, “Hey, I deserve better than this and I’m tired of just putting up with less than.” It can be a motivator to move forward, make some changes and open up more of our true selves and the gifts we have to give.
This is a great discussion today and I think a wonderful way to help get evil brought to the surface so it can be destroyed, at least in our own thoughts, which in turn, helps destroy it on a nationwide and worldwide effort. If you don’t mind my asking, Bevi… what specifically are you so angry about? To my viewpoint, there has been a Lot of misrepresentation of the truth and yes, the Truth, with capital letters on the news today, which gets interpreted in different ways. Most of the reporting, on a biased side, sadly is Negative, and often incorrect, which fans more fuel to the fire, increases fear, inflames anger and makes for a more divided, rather than harmonious atmosphere. I believe a lot of this has to do with an agenda, rather than what is beneficial to all mankind.
The news is very negative…
I call it ‘ moral mind reporting on itself ‘
‘ mortal mind’. There… now it makes sense
Thanks, Carol! It IS a Great Discussion and hopefully is getting people to THINK!!! After all, that’s what Mrs. Eddy said this Time is For……..Thinkers! To me, C.S. is more than just a Christian Religion. As Kathy Fitzer, CS, said in one of her Cedars Mets: “Christian Science is not a Christian denomination. It is Christianity scientifically demonstrated.” MBE thought deeply about world issues in her time and had a lot to say about world events. (See Prose Works) Yes, she believed in Love, but she also used her highly developed ability to think deeply and to express her thoughts in poems, newspaper articles, and sermons. And we have a right as Christian Scientists to think deeply and to express our thoughts, too. I guess I would say what I get most upset about……and yes, even Angry about……is when I see People telling Lies, believing Lies, Selling their souls for Money, Power and Control and expressing Bigotry, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Racial Discrimination, thoughtless Denial of Global Warming, and careless lack of Environmental Awareness and Love for the Care of our Earth! When I witness some people on our Earth doing this…….I can only surmise that they haven’t thought very deeply or scientifically about things and haven’t really understood what LOVE is!
The bible is full of metaphors. Perhaps Jesus making a whip of cords to whip them out of the temple was not so much a physical action but a spiritual action. In my understanding of who Jesus was, I cannot believe that he would actually use physical force on persons, to inflict harm….that would be so the opposite to what he was teaching us. My thoughts on this was that Jesus was making a mental whip to take a direct and forceful approach to evil.
I agree, Bevi, this discussion really can help us understand each other and hopefully help heal our own anxieties about current events. I love this way of sharing ideas. There are so many lies being told today, sometimes it Is hard to distinguish what the Truth really is. To start, is it not ironic that a reporter like Brian Williams who, himself, had left reporting for a while, because he had falsely reported the truth, was calling out others for being ‘fake’ news? And the Times reporter, who reported about the bust of MLK being taken from the Oval office, which made it Appear, worldwide through it’s reach, that our new Pres. is a racist, but was also not true and countless other allegations which were also proven not to be true, but meant to distort the reality of the situation. Have you Seen where before the election the Pres. has gone into churches and was received/welcomed with open arms, by those some claim he is racist against? Have you heard the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday, where he states how, after the material life he has led, how now he realizes that those things are Not important and it is the Spiritual things that are important? Do you realize that he has given up his business transactions, even the salary of being Pres. to try to fight for we, the American people? I have heard of Many instances where he has, from the heart, given to those in need, like recently a single father who he gave $10,000 to who was struggling, folks who were in need during hurricanes, etc. Those who know him personally say he does Many things, behind the scenes that do, indeed help others who need help, but does not do them for recognition, but because he does feel for others. He is 70 years old, has had a good life and really didn’t need to take on this abuse that he is being hit with, on every turn, imaginable. I believe he IS trying to help Heal our country and the world. Of course the media (not all) only focusses on every little detail to pick on, or something he said 20 years ago. I think we all need to give him a chance. He has only been in office two weeks and look at all he has already done to Help create jobs, and all of the other things he has accomplished that people elected him to do. …. (cont.d ….sorry to be so long, but hope this is helping)…
Thanks for your thoughts, Jennifer. There is one tiny little sentence in the Bible that I have always loved, because it shows that Jesus was Human and had Feelings: “Jesus wept.” I believe that if Jesus could feel sorrow, he could also feel anger, and probably happiness and all the other Human Emotions. Jesus was a Human Man. He walked the earth in a Human Body and had Human Feelings just like we do. He was so able to understand God, His Father, and thus to embody the Christ, that he was able to Heal out of that Divine Love and Understanding. It wouldn’t have meant much to the World if he had come and just operated mentally and metaphysically, without having a Human Body. The Crucifixion wouldn’t have meant much if it hadn’t happened to Jesus while he was walking the Earth as a Human Being with a material body. Where we ever got the idea that to have Feelings wasn’t Christian or Spiritual or Christianly Scientific is beyond me. Jesus didn’t teach that nor did Mrs. Eddy. She experienced great periods of sadness and grief and out of her willingness to FEEL those emotions, she was able to rise above them and grow even more in her understanding of God and Healing!
…. I believe he IS trying to help make our country Safer, by not just letting in any one who would do us harm and there seems to be an onslaught of folks today who do not have the same values that we do. It is like locking your doors. Do you just let anyone in your house? Or do you use wisdom in inviting only those who would not do us harm? As far as the environmental issues, I believe he is aware and will eventually do what is right in protecting our environment. But he really can’t do everything all at once. He has already accomplished many positive things. I think if we continue to help with our good thoughts and Positive outlook towards all what needs correcting, and keep an open mind, listening to other’s points of view, we are indeed helping to heal a world that needs all of the love and caring and understanding of each other that we can.
Hey all,
I love the lively dialogue we have in the comments section here in SpiritView. Thousands of readers read these comments every week and benefit from them. Much inspiration is shared.
My prayer is, though, that discussion stay at a spiritual level of sharing truths, insights and observations that edify each of us spiritually and make us better spiritual thinkers and doers.
If discussion becomes personal and starts to attack individuals, even politicians, even in subtle ways, the vision has been lost and the human mind starts angling for power rather than letting the divine Love shine through which does the most good.
There are many political blogs one can share their personal opinion on, if they’d like, but here, I hope to see the spiritual view expressed that transcends politics and meets the universal and deeper need of feeling and experiencing the government of God, divine Love.
Thanks for all your care!
Points well taken, Evan. Thank you for your input and was only trying to be helpful, but understand completely what you are saying and I’m sorry if I got carried away in the mortal aspect of it all.
Aw, no worries. You helped balance out the discussion.
Here is REAL dialogue. It is enlarging a ‘getting to know you’ group in which we are feeling more comfortable about developing our viewpoints. Thank you all for your thoughtful contributions. My concern has been lack of action from Christian Scientists. This addition is a suggestion from a senatorial aide when you want your political representative to REALLY hear you, State and Federal. TELEPHONE often (more effective than mailings), mention only 1-2 topics, make it short and to the point. Evan, so good to stir up our deeper thinking.
Thanks Evan for your suggestion to keep the comments on a spiritual level. I am facing an issue that isn’t causing anger, just frustration. I’ve been praying for guidance all week with no solution. I came home on Tuesday after being away for 3 weeks to find a very large motor home parked in the driveway next to my house and blocking part of my driveway. That house has been vacant for over 2 years. The Sheriff’s Dept. referred me to the Highway Patrol, the Highway Patrol won’t do anything unless it’s out in the street, and there isn’t a towing company in my small community that will tow a motor home. I can get out but with some difficulty. We had over 3 feet of snow and were snowed in while I was gone. I had to hire professionals to plow out my driveway, but it was difficult working around the motor home. Now we have more snow predicted. I don’t know how to handle my disturbed thought. Any suggestions?
Lori, as my mom would say, “there’s got to be a blessing.”
This is an opportunity to prove God’s almighty love in your life.
Whether you’re guided to ask a practitioner to work with you or you are led to research issues on your own, you’ll find a practical “answer of peace.” Jesus said that faith as small as a grain of mustard seed will move mountains.
Thanks Jennifer. I tire of all the protestors and their misguided accusations. This is the last I’ll
say!
I know from many experiences that your blog is so true Evan. Interesting comments. Diane thank you for the remarks by William McKenzie. Evan, thank you for comment about staying at a spiritual level. You are so very much appreciated for sharing your spiritual insight.
Thanks, Evan. I love these two greatest spoken words which have been recorded: “Follow me.”
Christ Jesus. They have served me well! KIS. Such simplicity and clarity. Nut said!
Nuf said!
“It is error even to murmur or to be angry over sin.” — Mary Baker Eddy
What this post did for me was to encourage a 3 hour journey into Mrs. Eddy’s writing using the concordance and I found a plethora of information in My. And S&H to spiritualize my thought. Looking up words such as law, anger, effect and others I found letters and articles I hadn’t read for awhile.
Very inspiring. Thanks for this blog and everyone’s comments and your responses Evan.
Dear Evan and Friends,
Thank you Evan for such a thought-provoking article and everyone for their comments. For me, the answer was found in the book “The Gentle Art of Blessing”, by Pierre Pradervand, which fits well with Christian Science. He proposes that we bless with what ever appears to be lacking in the person or situation that has caught our attention. Where there appears to be rudeness, I can immediately, and silently bless that person with gentleness, patience, understanding, knowing that right now and right there God is being manifested in His fullness. If lack is apparent, I can bless with the fullness of God’s riches and know that that idea truly already has all he needs. Since actively trying to bless a situation that has disturbed me, rather than be critical, I have found a greater sense of peace, and made new friends.
Mr. Predervand tells of a friend in Africa who lived where much ethnic cleansing was taking place. One night a group of angry young men heavily armed broke into his home and threatened him, his wife and children with death. He immediately began to prey fervently to see Love being expressed by all in his home. He clung to his knowledge of God is Love for over an hour before the young men apologized for the disruption and quietly left without harm to anyone. I don’t believe being angry at these young men would have had such a harmonious outcome. Love protected the homeowner, his family and the young men.
We all are working through a sense of separation and confsusion.
We are ALL the beloved children of God. As stated in the 7th section of this weeks lesson on Spirit. I also felt the 4th section appropriately fit the subject. Love to all.
Confusions 🙂
Thanks Rosie for recommending that book and for that wonderful testimony of protection through prayer and love.
Dear Evan, thank you for your correction of some confusing comments. And I am grateful for your Spirit View and for all comments going in the right direction, namely in the Christian Science direction to understand God and his expression man and the spiritual univers better!
Thank you dear Rosie for your wonderful clear and loving comment, very helpful!