This is from Vernon Howard’s booklet: Conquer Harmful Anger 100 Ways, #9.
“All anger is unconscious. This means that a hostile man does not see his anger while it is raging,
though he can feel its fiery pain. Unseen anger is like picking up a hot potato without looking at it.
You cannot be angry and be inwardly awake at the same time, which means you are angry because you are
asleep. But happily, you also cannot be awake and be angry at the same time. So stay awake and stop the ache!”
We have been brought up to believe that anger is strength, but this is a lie. Anyone who attaches themselves to angry emotions and feelings is weak. Instead of fearing an angry man, become wide awake and study everything going on both inside of you and outwardly. You will see new things every time you do this. When you see clearly that an angry man is a weak man, you will not cower at his performance. You will witness that he is bluffing and does not believe in his own angry reaction. The insights are many.
Study yourself when you fall into anger. There are many things to see inwardly about this “hot potato” state of mind. As you study anger, you will notice over time, a separation from this painful emotion. You will then be able to let it go from your life. Happy feelings will replace anger’s spot. You will be at ease with any angry outburst. The Universe is a friendly place, you (the false part) is not.
It is the 4th of July! Nobody sane wants to have fireworks inside them. Study your personal anger out of existence. Having a Nitroglycerin nature is no way to go through life.
What leaps to mind is another statement from Vernon: ‘You know thee is no independent entity behind the label’. This is such a great tool to help keep who we are not (thus, who we are) front and center of our consciousness. For the sincere worker, it immediately weakens the self-centered egoic impulses and offers up a surge of strength to face, and encourage, truth after truth after truth.
Excellent Terry,
We must jump into the life pool, and see our labeling, reactions, images, opinions, irritations, etc., so we can see how they are not real. We discover we are not real, also a non-existent person can’t have a problem…impossible. Only false unreal selves have problems. This is a very personal experience that any sincere person can have. And, even if you’re not sincere, your witnessing will arouse this Universal something else, which mere words can not explain. You become a true inner explorer, whether others know about it or not. Content.
Why would anyone love to hold the extremely hot potato called anger?
Hasn’t Vernon Howard explained this many times saying, “because it gives us
something to do with ourselves.” We would rather have something to do, anything,
especially and including anger, rather than facing the emptiness of a non-existing self.
That’s easy to say, easy to understand on the intellectual level, but extremely hard to do.
How is a non-existing self going to stop it’s anger when that’s what it is?
It can’t stop it, but there is such a thing as self study. There is such a thing as giving up.
There is such a thing as self honesty in seeing anger and asking God for help.
Yes, Tim, “self-study.” Also, “giving up.” And “self-honesty,” and of course, “asking God for help.” The tools for escaping the unwanted self.