Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. --Albert Einstein
Anger can be a healthy emotion, provided we don't wallow in it or attack other people. When we express anger honestly and without reservation, we can prevent walls of resentment from building up and blocking us off from the intimacy that we strive for in our relationships.
When we allow anger to fester in our heart, we surrender our peace of mind and lose our sense of purpose and self-worth. When we harbor anger rather than openly and respectfully expressing it, we no longer hear our inner spirit. Thus we are cut off from our innate wisdom to guide us in our actions.
We're often drawn to people who express their feelings honestly. This style of communicating serves as an invitation to build a relationship with them based on trust. From this trust we learn to open ourselves to God's love for us as we are.
Today I will feel my anger, express it when necessary, and then let it go so that I can deepen my trust of other people and of God.
The AA BB says otherwise:quote pg 66 "If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison." I personally have found nothing healthy about anger. That does not mean that I do not get angry. But the AA objective for me is to live anger free, and that means working on it every single time and not justifying it until I obtain victory over my anger. I have never felt good about expressing my anger. I always have been saddened by it.
The AA BB says otherwise:quote pg 66 "If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison." I personally have found nothing healthy about anger. That does not mean that I do not get angry. But the AA objective for me is to live anger free, and that means working on it every single time and not justifying it until I obtain victory over my anger. I have never felt good about expressing my anger. I always have been saddened by it.
Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. --Albert Einstein
Einstein seems to agree with you Gonee, I do
The only time I have ever found anger to be helpful is when I needed it to overcome fear in order to escape a harmful situation, there are ways to deal with anger that are healthy but I don't think anger or resentments in and of themselves are healthy, anger is a protective mechanism, but then so is denial
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it's not the change that's painful, it's the resistance to change that is painful
I, personally, have found all our emotions to be useful and they all serve a purpose. Anger is definitely included in this...
Anger teaches me what some of my own issues are. When something makes me angry without any reason, I know I have something to work on. When someone hurts me, my anger allows me to feel upset and then to move on, versus wallowing in it. There are countless more examples I could use.
The point is that we are human, and part of being human is experiencing the full range of emotions. Emotions are neither good nor bad- they just are! With that being said, getting stuck in any one emotion (even joy) without continuing to move forward and learn, is a recipe for disaster.
"To avoid falling into confusion over the names these defects should be called, let's take a universally recognized list of major human failings -- the Seven Deadly Sins of pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth."
---12&12 p.48, Step Four
Anger is NOT helpful, anger is what AA is trying to get RID OF. Anger is one of the DEFECTS that we identify in step 4 and spend the rest of the steps working to jetison.
