Posts Tagged ‘perspective’

What Is It Like To Live A Life In Anger?

September 29, 2016

“How do people live with themselves being angry all the time?”

Saw this on Facebook. A guy I know. Nice guy. Got mad at the woman making a sandwich for him. Felt bad all day.

Do you know that feeling? I do. I hate myself (well, maybe not that strong, but you get the idea) when I allow a temporary emotion create a rift–even when I don’t know the other person.

Mostly I smile and greet people and try to add a little light into their day. Then there are times.

But my friend asks a very perceptive question.

How do people live with themselves when they are always angry? Or, how to people who live with them or deal with them often live with it?

It must be terrible to never feel good. To never feel the love of God breaking through. Oh, they may talk about God, but can they really feel love through the anger? How sad to waste a life like that.

It’s even worse than the gloomy guy who always has something negative to say. My health is bad and the doctors are stupid. Or, the new boss is as big a jerk as the last one (pattern?).

I try to avoid the downer people. But the angry people, they can ruin a good day. Either they provoke anger in response, or at best create feelings of anxiety, distrust, or distance.

I have no advice. It’s difficult to conjure up sympathy. That deep seated anger comes from some emotion probably brewing for years. Or maybe a recent medical condition.

Best is to avoid them. But if they are family or co-worker, best is to try to step back mentally and gain perspective. “I’m not going to let them ruin my day.”

But it must be tough to live in a state of continual anger. Guts all worked up. Nothing goes right. People avoid you. Sad.

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Posted in Disciplines, emotions | Leave a Comment »

To Debate or Not To Debate

September 27, 2016

“They” said the rating for the presidential candidate debate would be in the range of Super Bowl audiences.

I have the graduate studies in political science. My wife wanted to watch the debates. I said, why. We know whom we are voting for. The debate will change nothing. And then you go to bed emotionally intense. Now you don’t get a good sleep. Then the next morning you feel down.

A quick check of CNN.com last night for something couldn’t get past the hype. This is “crucial”; the most important thing; and so on. This morning–not so much.

Ah, hype. So ephemeral.

I post a marketing message every morning on Facebook for a local business. That forces me to Facebook. People had been posting about who “won” the debate. Each side said “polls” said that their candidate won. Tip–don’t put faith in the polls.

It must be significant that I’m not emotionally involved “for” a candidate. Mostly I’m emotionally involved against one. I’m not going to change. As soon as I can vote absentee, I will. Then it’s over for me until election night when I will allow myself some worry.

Mostly, I’m trying not to be manipulated by the media or by a candidate. Mostly, I’m trying hard (and not all that successfully) to live a spirit-filled life concerned with the more important matters (to paraphrase my Teacher).

And take care of my health.

I’ve heard these political charges before. Kennedy was elected and the Pope didn’t rule the US (remember those days?). Johnson was elected and most of us survived. Nixon was elected and the country made it through. And so on.

Presidents can’t do anywhere close to what they promise. The American people as a whole are industrious and creative. We keep the country growing. Mostly we need politicians to protect us and support us.

And we just need to maintain perspective from the better point of view.

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Posted in Disciplines | 1 Comment »

Every Day Is a New Day

June 10, 2015

She wakes up in the morning already tired. The cares of yesterday already dragging her energy. One day just proceeds in dreary succession after the previous.

We have been there. We lose hope for anything better. God? We used to be aware of his presence.

A saying of a Desert Father who said that every  single day he made a fresh beginning.

How can we break that cycle of despair and make a fresh beginning of each day? We still have those old problems.

One thing we can do is breathe. In the Greek (actually as in other languages) the word for breath is either the same or similar for spirit. Ancient people have consistently paired intentional breathing with inculcation of the spirit.

We arise early. it is a dicsipline–also can be made a habit. 

We find our favorite chair or maybe floor pillow. We sit. Breathe. Deeply inhale. Slowly exhale. We focus our mind on our breath. We relax.

That is one way to begin a morning fresh.

Then we can read. Read in the Bible. Read a devotional book. Read a motivational book. Something for the restoration of the soul and nourishment of the mind.

With the perspective we gain, we can look at yesterdays problems with fresh eyes. We can look at what we can change and what we can ignore and what we can live with.

Every single day we can make a fresh beginning.

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Posted in Attitude | 3 Comments »