Last night at an impromptu pizza party, a friend implored me to “keep on raging”. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Was it kismet that this morning I happened upon an article by Sister Joan Chittister, entitled “Anger: A virtue for our time, because silence is not working” ? I’m going to take it as a sign that I am not alone.
I admire Sister Chittister. In fact, years ago a friend gave me a book of her poems/prayers entitled, Aspects of the Heart. The book is dogeared and has a plethora of post-it notes marking poems that called to me in a special way.
Sister Chittister opens the article with a quote by the Dalai Lama, “If a human being never shows anger, then I think something’s wrong. He’s not right in the brain.” Well if anger is the litmus test for being “right in the brain”, I must be a genius.
In my opinion, to be angry about injustice, you must risk vulnerability. You have to honor the sleepless nights, shaky hands and rapidly beating heart, tears of frustration and gamble that you won’t alienate friends and loved ones. You must be strong enough to withstand the pain but open enough to feel the pain of; a mother being separated from a child, the pain of a child locked in a cage, burying a loved one after a mass shooting while your government bows to the NRA, religion being used as an arbitrator of discrimination, theocracy, patriarchy, white privilege, war, voting suppression, and climate change…the list seems endless. All the while our country’s leader and his minions encourage the destruction and pain for their own personal gain.
As Sister Chittister so plainly says, “the first virtue I suggest for this era of pent-up frustration is Anger.” Many well-meaning friends have told me that they just can’t “go there.” What they fail to realize is I am not angry for anger’s sake. My anger is the result of my desire for change. If you choose to sit and watch cute cat videos rather than feel the anger brought on by vulnerability, you are essentially saying that the injustice is acceptable. Again, Sister Chittister hits the nail on the head, “Anger simply says “enough!” Which is exactly when the commitment to finding a solution to it finally emerges. It’s what makes us angry that measures the depth of our souls.”
Tomorrow President Trump is visiting my home town, the city I love, and people are angry. The rally cry of protesters is flooding my Facebook page. My art supplies and poster board are littering my dining room table, awaiting my pithy protest mantra. Being vocal and angry at the injustices in the world is new to me and it can be very isolating. Ironically, attending vigils, protests and rallies sooths my soul. Tomorrow when I walk down the street carrying my sign and wearing my protest t-shirt I will hear the cry of the masses. Although I usually attend these events alone, once I arrive I easily blend in and feel solidarity in the anger and realize I am the voice of many.
As Sister Chittister says, anger is energy. Anger is the connector. I join Sister in her prayer, “No. More. Nice. Girl. Anymore!”
Link to Joan Chittister’s article: https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/where-i-stand/anger-virtue-our-time-because-silence-not-working?fbclid=IwAR3AVrGkrXScmT09zpm20lSSNtwG7uoiHlc4ydpO1luhvK1Kx0r61VvXNgU
