There are a lot of things in the wold worth getting mad about.
Politics. Racism. Poverty. Injustice.
Take your pick. And you can get mad today
You can get mad everyday
And many of us do. With good reason.
What we do with this anger really matters and so many of us use a lot of our angry energy to vent.
We have long, drawn out conversations about what’s wrong with the world and feel good about it.
But its important to be clear about what it is we are actually angry about.
Like, what is the actual problem? Do you know?
How many assumptions are you making?
How fair are the generalizations you are making about things and people that you honestly don’t really understand?
The trouble with venting is that too often it leads us to the easiest conclusions about the world in which we live;
”They’re racist.”
”Our country is backward.”
”No one gives a rip about us”
”Never trust anyone but yourself”
Heartfelt conclusions. But conclusions that are much too easy to arrive at.
And its downhill from there.
If venting is only a means of getting back at those who have wronged us
We run the risk of allowing our world view to be shaped by our anger and frustrations
Creating our own version of reality where everyone is either ‘with us or against us.’
And that may only carry us so far.
Sure, be angry. But also be honest and be open to the possibility that the conclusions we jump to so easily may not be true.