Our Other, Angrier Selves

Confucius once said that he who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior. When I first heard this proverb, I thought it was tedious and old-fashioned. As I grew up, however, I began to better understand its meaning. There is another part of us that burns inside, and that awaits anxiously its time to explode. This other self is a side of us that we try to hide and forget it exists. It is created by the repression of our strongest emotions, and it is called anger. Many individuals often show this side by reacting to unpleasant situations without thinking about the consequences that these reactions can cause to them or to the people around them. Therefore, I believe that anger is one of the major problems that our society is facing because it often gets out of control and it turns destructive toward the important people in our lives, by so being harmful to us as well.

First of all, when anger grows into an unmanageable feeling, it can lead to serious problems in our relationships with the most significant people around us, such as our colleagues, our classmates, our friends, or even our family members. Although minimal anger is considered to be a healthy and a normal human emotion, it is often abused. Thus, it can come out in the form of disparaging remarks or acts toward those that we love. For instance, when parents are not pleased with their children’s academic or athletic accomplishments, they might often show their dissatisfaction through the use of physical or verbal violence. They might release their anger and hurt their children before they understand the harm they have done. Some parents believe that these ways of educating their children are effective. However, they do not realize that if we see our parents get angry first and resolve an issue after, we are more likely to use the same approach. Anger is dangerous because it is an emotion that can find many ways in order to set itself free from where it is being confined. If we are frustrated, tired, or unhappy with something, we are more prone to react in an angry fashion and release the beast within us, and eventually cause serious emotional damage to our loved ones.

Secondly, anger can be damaging