Interesting take on anger

[Oeditpus Rex]

I'm watching PBS, and apparently this philosopher named Seneca back in the early first century wrote that one of the primary elements of anger is surprise, so we'll be less prone to anger — sudden anger, anyway — if we expect people to do things that would otherwise make us angry. He suggested we meditate daily not on good stuff, but on the things that could go wrong, thus preparing ourselves for them.

[Mojambo]

1. I constantly focus on things that can go wrong

It hasn't worked out real well for me. I'm completely paralyzed by inactivity. My life is a constant battle to avoid anything and everything.

Maybe I'm not doing it right.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Dude!

We could be like... like Soul Brothers!

[nickgutierrez]

3. That makes three of us, then.

It's worthwhile to consider what might go wrong, but it can certainly lead to inaction if you do too much of it. I'm learning, slowly.

[Mojambo]

6. Yeah, sure I'm in. As long as we don't have to do stuff or anything.

;)

[RevCheesehead]

4. Seneca - the orange juice guy?

I lived that way most of my life. While I might be prepared, I found that I was rarely happy. So I decided to change, and learned to deal with the crap only when it happens... and even then, blow it off whenever possible.

Didn't Seneca commit suicide? I'm just sayin'.

[LeftyMom]

5. "I'm watching PBS..."

Commie! There's yer problem, all that thinkin and book larnin.

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. Sigh... I know

But it was that or "Friends." :shrug:

[NMMNG]

7. Hmmmmm.....

Maybe that's why fundies are so angry all of the time. They close their minds to learning anything outside their little boxes, then when anything "new" (such as anything from the 19th century or after) comes at them they are surprised and erupt in anger.

Interesting.

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. Yup

Makes sense, dunnit?




And that's one cute smilie.

[hfojvt]

9. I like to prepare my anger a couple days in advance

When I am surprised my first reaction is not really anger. It is only later after I have analyzed and re-played it that I work up some anger. Plus anger has to be repressed anyway since it is rarely acceptable to scream at or assault people, and even if it was, the situation would just escalate and they would scream and fight back and probably kick my a$$. That's what I would expect anyway.

[Squeech]

11. I dunno

It is also conventional wisdom that the essence of humor is surprise: you take the subject of the joke out of its usual context and toss it into another domain of discourse. Maybe it's that jokes don't usually affect you personally-- unless the joke teller is making you the butt, in which case you're entitled to get angry...

Thinking about it now, I get angry when people take what I consider to be unfair advantage: cutting in line, or waging pre-emptive wars. And I don't think I'm surprised, I'm just outraged.

[nuxvomica]

12. I think surprise just prevents controlling one's expression of anger

I think you can be angry without being surprised.

[wildhorses]

13. is that what I call.....

shoot low and aim high???
:hi:



thanks for not rubbing it in bout how bad my Braves suck

[Mutley]

14. Is that just expecting the worst,

or understanding that certain people will engage in certain behaviors, and certains things will happen?

[El Fuego]

15. So I just have to anticipate being really, really pissed off.

Should be easy enough.

[txwhitedove]

16. Good advice. First recognize such bad behaviour as, say,...

BULLYING. Then by anticipating and preparing for bullying behaviour, you are calm and prepared rather than surprised/angry.

[redqueen]

17. what about sadness?

i anticipate things that will break my heart... but it never seems to help...

[Patiod]

18. I'm just the opposite - way more angry

when people do exactly the assinine thing I expect them to do.