I’m reading a book called Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words by David Whyte. The author does not write from a Christian perspective and I haven’t gotten far into the book, as I want to read it thoughtfully. I thought it would be a book about the meaning of words, but it’s not–it’s really a book about the meaning of emotions. And being a novelist, I’m always interested in what makes people feel the way they do.
For instance, this morning I read about anger. The Bible speaks of anger in two ways–there’s a destructive and foolish anger, and then there’s a righteous anger.
Whyte says that anger “points toward the purest form of compassion; the internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect and those things for which we are willing to hazard and even imperil ourselves.”
Once I dissected those words, I realized–I think— that he is saying that we become angry when the things we love are threatened–and those can be righteous things (our God, our children, our families) or they can be selfish things (our time, our rights, our personal freedom to do as we please). So yes, anger can stem from love–things we love righteously, and things we love selfishly.
Whyte says, “But anger truly felt at its centre is the essential living flame of being fully alive and fully here; it is a quality to be followed to its source, to be prized, to be tended, and an invitation to finding a way to bring that source fully into the world through making the mind clearer and more generous, the heart more compassionate, and the body larger and strong enough to hold it.”
I’m not sure we should “tend” anger, as it tends to eat people alive, but I do believe it is good to analyze the source of our anger when we feel it. When I’m angry waiting in line, I’m feeling selfish with my time. When I’m angry because someone has wronged one of my children, I’m guarding those I love. When I’m angry when someone scratches my car, I’m being selfish with my possessions.
Perhaps this is a good exercise for us–so we can let go of the things that don’t matter and guard the things that do. May the Lord give us wisdom today and make our hearts large enough for love that there’s no room for anger.
What makes you angry? Do you agree that love is the root of all anger?
~~Angie
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