“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” -Buddha

Feelings themselves are neither good nor bad. What gives them power is our compulsion to either dwell on them or act on them.

Perhaps you know the feeling. Someone hurts you, or you find yourself in a difficult situation, and in a way you feel justified. Almost as if it feels good to stay angry. That maybe you should be angry; and furthermore, you should do something about it. Confront someone, challenge someone, maybe even hurt someone.

Anger magnified or directed rarely feels as good as we imagine it will. What does feel good is accepting that all feelings pass; fighting the instinct to do something you may regret; and then realizing your anger has faded. It always does with time.

Today if something ruffles you, ask yourself this question: am I willing to torture myself because I feel justified, or do I choose peace instead?

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