Anger: A Serious Problem

Anger is a serious problem that many of us have to face. Lectures on Happiness, a column in the Peace Weekly, discusses the subject and, using the example of Christ, leaves us with some helpful pointers to follow. Koreans usually consider anger a disease, and it may not even appear outwardly as anger but remain simmering inside.

In chapter 8 of St. John's Gospel, we have the incident of the woman caught in adultery. Lawyers came with the woman to Jesus, asking him what was to be done? She broke the law of Moses and was to be stoned to death; they wanted to hear from Jesus. Wisely, he bent over to write on the ground, giving her accusers a chance to have their anger subside.

Jesus then tells those without sin to begin stoning the woman, as he again writes on the ground. He gave them plenty of time to reflect on the situation. They all left, and Jesus told the woman to go and not sin again.

The columnist gives us five steps to control our anger, after first advising us that when anger invades our psyche, counting to ten is a great help in regaining control.

The first step is to breathe deeply. When God made us, he breathed into us; when we have difficulty breathing, we have difficulty controlling our life.

Second: Walk. It cleans and heals our hearts. Take the rosary beads and go for a walk.

Third: Go easy on fast foods and flesh meats. We can see the effect of this in the animals that are flesh eaters and in those that are herbivore.The more natural the food we eat the less anger we will have, he says.

Fourth: Enjoy life. Take time to rest. Jesus worked six days and rested on the seventh. Seek harmony between work and rest.

Fifth: Be good to yourself. If you are happy, you will not get angry. Do not think that is going against our religious beliefs. Our Lord did say what does it profit a person if he gains the whole world and loses himself (Matt. 16:26). It is when we are happy that we can help others to be happy.