No doubt, at certain points in a man’s life is a moment of outrage and copious anger. Anger is a phenomenon that every human is bound to express no matter how reticent or reserved one may tend to be. But have we ever considered how anger could be so detrimental and unhealthy?
Although, anger most of the time erupts from offense from a third party, it is not at all times.
Self-guilt can also be classified as a subordinate form of anger.
Customarily, a man is angered and bitter when he is offended by another, whether there is an outburst or not. But when things like this happen, one should not forget self-control. Whatever the case may be there are sure many ways to go about it or solve the issue, so to say.
Anger is a phenomenon people tend to underrate. Some people do feel like if they don’t express anger when being wronged, they lose respect and name. They feel like people will see them as dumb or stupid so to say, but they don’t know what effect anger has on one’s emotions.
Agnes Callard, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in philosophy, University of Chicago said in an article she titled: ‘The Philosophy of Anger’ that even though it is justifiable to get angry over an issue, there is a side effect that anger leaves in its host which she called ‘disproportionate vengeance’ and she advised that we rather transmute the feeling to a healthier or more respectable one as ‘disproportionate revenge’ could cause lots of damages. Anger is a habit in a way. Anger is infected with a ‘payback wish’ in the heart which could be vengeful and destructive.
The feeling of vengeance comes with a strong force that keeps you deaf to admonishment to let it go. When we fall in anger there’s a feeling that formulates in us that if revenge is not taken the issue might occur again, so to avert a second occurrence; revenge is schemed . Most times it goes wrong and we have ourselves to blame at the end.
Anger can also make one lose regards and respect in the society one lives in. An outrageous show even though the offender had begged for forgiveness could make people withdraw from you gradually. Sometimes, anger deprives you of what, apparently, you are entitled to. Bible wise, Moses lost entry into the promised land because of anger. Let us tread softly when faced by this unhealthy and destructive phenomenon.
Anger is something that is related with the human mental structure, so being an unhealthy phenomenon, it could affect one’s mental health badly. A first century Roman philosopher and statesman, Seneca wrote in a treatise which was titled ‘De Ira’- about how to manage the ill effects of anger. He said that anger is a form of madness. This backs up the fact that anger can result in mental issues for the bearer; so anger should be totally eradicated. We should learn to let it go especially when the offender has already made up for it.
Samuel Atanda is an ND1 student of the department of Mass Communication
