Come on, I want to see you get angry. I want to see you get obnoxious. We need more obnoxious people. People are too tame.
Everyone wants to agree all the time. Agreement doesn’t get you anywhere. Especially when you’re upset about something!
This is the creative force within you. Stop ignoring it. It has to come out. You’re not going to get what you want until it comes out. You’re not going to have the impact on the world that you know you need to have, until it comes out.
Stop waiting. Just do it. Right now.
I posted this video back on April 16, 2020. I’m still angry. You should be, too.
Over the past several months, I’ve posted many angry videos, and I’m happy about all of them. Each and every angry video and post has freed up mental space for other stuff. If you don’t move past the anger, you can easily get stuck there. Forever.
“Moving past” the anger doesn’t mean repressing it and pretending it doesn’t exist. It means letting it do its thing, with your voice and with your body.
I’m a big fan of doing this through social media videos. Yeah, I know it’s scary. Our society doesn’t encourage us to be angry.
Screw that.
It’s true, some people might not like you for it. But you know that what’s inside you is going to come out, one way or the other.
The world needs more obnoxious people
Especially ones who are aware they are being obnoxious.
It’s OK to be angry. The anger is a sign that there’s something really really important to you here.
You can be angry without blaming others. Do you know the difference? Deep down inside, how do you view the people who have wronged you?
It’s OK to play out violent fantasies in your head. You’re doing it anyway, whether I tell you it’s OK or not. Don’t play them out in real life. But in your head, do it. Do it until you have no more hatred toward that person.
It will happen. The hatred will disappear. You’ll be surprised at what was fueling it in the first place.
This isn’t about standing up for yourself. Please don’t stand up for yourself.
It’s about taking a stand for yourself (and everyone else).
Anger doesn’t mean you’re meditating wrong
Meditation is about equanimity. Noticing things without reacting to them.
Does that mean it’s morally wrong to be reactive? Should you try hard not to get angry with people? Is it a sign of progress in meditation when you are less angry?
No, no, no.
Some people will tell you those are true. If you’re looking to get rid of your anger and become totally imperturbable, you should go listen to what they have to say. (I guess you should, anyway. Personally, I doubt it will work. But, please try it and let me know what you discover.)
The type of equanimity I’m interested in is the one where you’re OK with whatever happens. That means being OK with being reactive. Being OK with being angry. Being OK with making little progress in meditation.
That’s how I practice: whatever comes up, I notice it and let it come and go on its own.
Often, that’s confusing, especially when I’m really happy to see something bad go away.
Unfortunately, the things that disappear always come back.
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