On January 11, 2016, I began a daily practice of writing a joke meditation of the day, called Cracked Pot Meditations. I was still recovering from the treatment of cancer, and I was having very challenging cognitive issues, so I chose just to put something simple and easy to write every day. Posting it to the blog allowed me to hold myself accountable. Some of those meditations were poorly written and unedited. I have gone back and begun editing these and adding an illustration, starting with the April 27th meditation. I hope you enjoy.
Meditation for July 27th
Don’t Stop, Get Pissed
A great deal has been written about trying to live anger-free lives. We want to avoid letting anger dominate our emotional well-being. Some say resentment is the number one offender of spiritual stability.
Anger isn’t a primary emotion. It is a reaction to a primary emotion, such as sadness or fear. Anger is a loss of control over a situation. If you had power, you’d be ok and not mad, but some things are out of our control, and we get pissed. Don’t stop, get pissed. Anger isn’t all bad for you.
Anger will save your life.
The primary purpose of anger is to fight against what is attacking us. Either you let fear turn you around and run, or you ball those fists up and start punching. Anger gives us the power and energy to defeat our foe. The notion that humans are meant to live in peaceful harmony with one another is false. We are built to take. Anger helps us take and fight those who try to take from us. Embrace the weapon we can become.
Anger is our alarm
Since we aren’t fighting saber-tooth tigers anymore, our anger gets lit up for way different reasons. We become angry when we lack control. We get mad at those we love. When we get angry, it’s time to stop and look at what the fear is. Why am I going to punch this saber-tooth tiger who happens to be my boss? Perhaps my life isn’t in danger, so I need to discover what I’m terrified of. Sometimes, when we are driving, we become agitated with traffic, and sometimes that little bit of irritation means we are letting other things build up, and we need to pause to address the real issue.
Anger of a perfect planet
Anger is also a barometer for setting your expectations for other people too high. If someone is pissing you off all the time because they keep doing or not doing something, maybe they are just incapable of doing it. You don’t know why someone can’t do something. Perhaps they are just plain dumb. Mostly, that is the reason, but other factors sometimes play a role. For example, I get angry when people frequently call in sick to work. Maybe people don’t ignore being in pain like I do.
Anger will create yourself
Sometimes we are angry at ourselves. We don’t live up to our expectations, or we fear becoming something we hate. Perhaps our anger towards others stems from the fact that they are a reflection of ourselves. Getting angry at ourselves is a great time to stop and make some changes. Instead of giving up and just becoming the person you think you have to be, try finding a different way of doing things. You can’t just think a different way; you can only act a different way. If you act like Prince, you will become Prince.
Anger will expand your mind, man
Tired of punching walls and yelling? Try to find a new way to cope with your sensitive little feelings. Remember, anger isn’t manly or tough, it’s just a man’s way of being a crybaby. It’s no different. Yelling at someone and calling them fucker and that you are going to kill them just sounds like a baby crying in a crib wanting a binky. Grow the fuck up and cope.
Prayer
Lyssa,
No, I’m not going to ask you to remove this anger,
I want you to sharpen it,
to let the rage help me focus,
But I need to know what the actual target is,
What is making me angry,
Is it the slowness of traffic?
Or is it something at home?
At work?
My sports team?
Or just the state of the world?
Whatever it is, let the anger guide me to achieve my goals.
Don’t let me take it out on the innocent,
the ones I love,
the wall,
the volume,
But let it help me become a better person.
Amen
Craft
Step 1: Name the anger
Step 2: Find the anger in your body
Step 3: What is anger’s impulse?
Step 4: Fantasize that impulse
Step 5: Now, identify the real action that will help you with this relationship; i.e., setting boundaries, cutting them out of your life, or accepting them.
Goal
Please stop trying not to be angry; it isn’t the anger that is the problem, but rather the unhealthy way we deal with it. Either we are violent or we are trying to evade anger altogether. Let anger be the bellwether of our emotional health.