I have anger issues.
As an occultist I read a lot of eastern mysticism and progressive spiritualists. All of them promote kindness and understanding whenever dealing with your fellow humans. There’s great wisdom in this. When you attack, ears and minds close. You seldom get your point across. But sometimes, that’s not the goal.
In our polarized society, there are people who have embedded beliefs as part of their identity. They are in no way open to convincing with honey or vinegar. In those instances, anger can be the right tool.
I get pissed at my fellow liberals more than anyone for their lack of rage. Did you know we are bombing women and children all the time in Pakistan and Yemen? Why are you not pissed about this? I like protest, I think protest is important. But sometimes you need to go beyond potlucks and waving signs. NO I am not talking about violence. Let’s all go down to the office of the local insurance company and hang out in their lobby until they explain why they habitually deny coverage.
This week someone on tumblr sent me a message saying they were going to unfollow me because I’m an “anti-white Marxist.” Forget for a second how fucking ridiculous it is to call someone a Marxist. They included with this a link to a horribly racist website http://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com/.*
Normally I ignore crap like this, until you add the racism. That is shit I won’t tolerate from my family much less total strangers. This is when anger comes in handy. I believe it is our duty to tell people like this that they will not be tolerated in our society. They will be ostracized. We will not take away their right to speak, but we can make it painfully clear no one is listening. I told him as much, and told everyone who follows me as well.
We have a false notion that people like Gandhi and MLK just marched and gave speeches in order to bring about change. These were angry men! Gandhi considered himself a general leading a campaign. He shut down the transportation system, the communications, and put himself in harm’s way to get his way.
When will you get angry enough to get yours?
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