Ryan Holiday writing about anger, What If I Said No? (And Other Questions to Consider Daily):
You gave them very careful instructions, which they disregarded, leading to costly consequences for you both. You’re a very courteous driver, yet this person is still honking and flipping you off. You’ve asked your kid 50 times to work on their school project, and here they are the night before, complaining that they need help.
These are trademark frustrating situations. Ones that are very easy to get angry about — it’s natural, even.
But just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Marcus Aurelius wrote in Mediations, “how much more harmful are the consequences of anger… than the circumstances that aroused them in us.”
Anger almost always makes things worse. It almost always compounds the harm — it takes a situation that was already unfortunate and makes it more so. Getting angry isn’t good for your heart. It’s not good for your mind. It’s not good for the people around you. So leave it alone.
Worth reading the whole article.
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