Angry and Doing Something About It

When is anger a good thing? I've seen a mom angry when an injustice is done to her child and she rushes in to protect and make things right. She's not ready to ask what really happened, only to solve things for her child. Anger pushes her to action.

I've felt anger rushing over me as I hear words being used that hurt and damage someone else. It pushes me to take action and it fuels me to not back away until I see results. Recently, I saw a girl so angry she said she wanted to kill someone and she wasn't backing away for anything.

Anger seems to be an emotion that can take over to the point that we are out of control. This little girl would not listen to reason, as I tried to discern what had happened. She had accidentally taken the full force of a kicked soccer ball to the stomach, which really hurt. Yet by piling on blame and saying the boy did it "on purpose", she couldn't let go of her anger. She was not being open to seeing another point of view and there was nothing I could do about it.

The other students tried to re-enact the event, sharing what they had observed until a clear picture was formed. The boy even apologized for his part, yet that was not enough. She didn't want to forgive, to let the anger go and move on. Her mom has modeled this way of living for a long while. After being on the receiving end of anger, this girl could now feel justified to dish it out on someone else.

How many times am I angry about something without knowing the whole story? Am I too quick to make a judgement because I want to justify my feelings? How willing am I to forgive even before an apology is given?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unexpected Beauty

There is snow and then there is fluffy snow. Today everything is becoming frosted in freshness as large flakes waft down steadily. With little wind blowing, the flakes are settling on top of everything, sticking evenly and outlining what is beneath. No longer is the ice, sand and salt visible, as beauty is everywhere. I chose this morning to enjoy the beauty. I know the slippery ice is still there as well as all the dirt and grime from yesterday. Yet I would be missing out on fresh joy if I focused instead on the ice. I'm thinking too of the loses in life that are out of my control to change. It's one thing to feel sad and mourn that loss but it's my choice whether to focus on it totally or look for fresh beauty. Today I want to start a "Beautiful" list, topped by today's snowfall and the names of special people in my life. After that, only time will tell what I will add as I intentionally look for beauty all around me.
Read more

The joy Inside

Here in Canada, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. I love this early October celebration as the trees start to change and show their true colours. It's like we are finally getting a real glimpse of the inner beauty hidden inside some the trees. It takes the harshness of the weather conditions and the lack of nourishment to bring out that colour. In the same way, it often takes the hard times of life and it's challenges to bring what's inside me. Sometimes it's ugly and sometimes it's beautiful but it makes me more aware of me. I am good at pretending; of smiling and thinking all is well. When the hurtful words come out, I'd like to blame my circumstances or other people, because then it's not my fault. It's taken time, but I'm learning to accept myself with my unique colours and allow God to work on the stuff than needs removing. I'm so thankful today for the bits of love, joy and peace that I have experienced in this past year. I see that n
Read more

Performance Appraisal time

Where do I begin? The lesson plan was written up, the Grade 2/3 Library class was chosen and the day and time were set. The rubric was posted for the lesson and all was set to go. Then the unexpected began. As the principal walked into the Library, I had my Grade One class. I had been thinking, "This will be a dry run for next period." Now I realized I had to deal with the behaviours as well as teach a lesson that I had planned for older children. She had my lesson plan in front of her so I knew I couldn't deviate and change things too much. I was exhausted at the end but felt things went as well as they could with that particular class. Then I began the same lesson with the Grade 2/3's, wondering if she would be slipping back in to observe as planned. When I pulled out the book to begin, the students quickly said, "You've read that book to us before!" I had totally forgotten! That information would not have been advantageous. As I kept going, I start
Read more