While I’ve had some time off work I’ve been reading a thriller based around Dante’s Divine Comedy. It came back to my mind today when I was thinking about rage. I realised I was still angry about an injustice that happened a long time ago.

Angry enough at one point to have been in a rage about what was happening. Seeing the injustice but feeling helpless and powerless to stop it. There is an old saying that I try to remind myself of. ‘Being angry is like poisoning yourself and hoping the other person dies.’ Rage and anger can fester away inside until it produces bitterness. And so many more low vibrational feelings. Anger can kill all the pleasures of this life if left unreleased. So that each time an injustice arises it piles on more and more of the anger energy. But what do I do if I feel wronged? Or, perhaps more importantly, feel that others have been wronged? Letting the emotion build until I explode seems rather pointless. So what?

Another thread in the story was about moral dilemmas. One particular quote by Dante shouted out to me – ‘The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.’ Though I’m not a believer in hell I certainly understand that letting injustices happen and doing nothing is a moral trap. Ignoring the suffering of others, of myself even, allows rage to build. Anger to become uncontrolled and unreleased. Until the volcano erupts and there is a backlash. At the moment I see there is a lot of rage in the world. Anger being built up because good people stand by and do nothing. And I am back to the same question. What do I do? How do I meet this moral challenge?

The volcanic reaction that rage produces has to be recognised. Taking action to deal with the anger has to happen.

I am recognising my own old energy. And taking active steps to release it. By writing about it. By speaking about it. And by continuing to protest at the injustice that others may not wish to be held accountable for. But I will hold them to account. These are actions anyone can take. Is it time for you to deal with your rage and anger in a way that will prevent further injustices?

Day 968 of my blogging challenge