In its simplest form, it constitutes anger or indignation. In its more complex, it encompasses rage and a desire for revenge. It is commonly recognised as one of the 7 Deadly Sins in Catholic Theology, being first enumerated by Pope Gregory the 1st in the 6th Century. source
As an emotion, feelings of anger or wrath often lead to hostile, unbridled, irrational, knee-jerk reactions, and in this
negative expression, it does not advance the purity of humanity's cause. It is seen as something to be suppressed, frowned upon, nay even scorned.
But what if we were to embrace the emotion instead? What if we were to temper it with virtue; using patience to suppress our immediate and pressing desire for reaction and vengeance? What if instead of charging in, moral indignation emblazoned across our chests, we stepped back momentarily, and took a breath? What if we looked beneath the surface of the emotion, took the time to explore and examine the source of its ignition, and then harnessed the bubbling energy created in the roots of wrath to put it to good use? What might we find? May we perchance locate and unlock its very antithesis; its best-kept secret; that wrath as an emotion can be used very effectively as a catalyst for change, both in our own lives and in that of the world around us? And so instead of creating mindless noise and losing face when we feel compelled to give voice to moral outrage and dissent, we choose instead to channel that rage, to control that wrath, and use its energy to fuel positive change and action in our lives.
There are numerous examples, both past, and present, of individuals who have conquered the 'sin' and used it to their advantage; to educate, to inspire, to empower, to enlighten. They have created awareness and impetus for positive change when afflictions of the human spirit, such as racial and gender discrimination, have marred the path of mankind's march to enlightenment. Instead of a display of dissipating wasteful negative energy, instead of incitement to violence, they have used wisdom and patience to temper their wrath and to channel the magnitude of their feelings into amongst other things, peaceful protest, negotiation, and admirable leadership to effect true change, permanently altering the pattern of historic behaviour in the fabric of human sociology. They have acted as watchmen of the wall, keepers of mankind's virtuous self, protectors of human rights, and guardians of our galaxy's innate goodness.
In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man in Alabama, resulting in her subsequent arrest, which spawned a mass bus boycott and helped to give impetus to the Civil Rights Movement. Her rage contained, she remained dignified and led by example. source
Then there is the beloved Dr Martin Luther King - who in 1963, led the American Civil Rights Movement, and had a dream which he shared with the world from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He desired the end of racism in America, the granting of citizenship rights to the Black community, and economic equality and freedom for all. Within his lengthy speech he echoed the thoughts of millions around the Southern States and around the world when he proclaimed:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
but it must be remembered that it remained important to him that
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. source
He stood fast until his assassination in 1968, defending the rights of Black Americans, and going to jail in the process, but his movement's sustained campaign of peaceful protest in the face of state violence attracted international attention and forced the hand of government and JFK to introduce the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Dr Nelson Mandela, led the once-banned African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa and headed a campaign of resistance/terror (depending on one's perspective) and civil unrest, resulting in his incarceration for 27 years at the hands of the White Nationalist Government, 18 of which were spent on Robben Island off the Cape of Good Hope. Upon his eventual release in 1989, he worked together with the South African government to bring about the first National Democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 and to bring down the system of institutionalised Apartheid which had legalised racial discrimination for decades. He came to realise and understand that it would only be through peaceful negotiation backed by a show of strength, fueled constantly by moral indignation and outrage, mirrored around the world, that change could come about.
Emmeline Pankhurst spearheaded the movement for women's suffrage in the 19th and 20th centuries in Britain, helping women to win the right to vote alongside men. She channeled her political outrage and wrath at an unjust system, into peaceful protest, although it did turn to civil disobedience and destruction of property near the end. In 1999 Time magazine recognised her efforts in naming her
one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century
and stating that she
shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back source
Time magazine describes Greta Thunberg as
the eye of a hurricane, a pool of resolve at the center of swirling chaos. In here, she speaks quietly. Out there, the entire natural world seems to amplify her small voice, screaming along with her.
Greta Thunberg, the young Norwegian political activist who rose to fame through her quiet opposition to government inaction with regard to climate change by taking part in a climate strike from school, has rallied a generation of young people (and old) into action. She was named Time Magazines Person of the year 2019 for inspiring the largest climate strike in human history. She speaks quietly but firmly. She is persistent in her advocation of combatting climate change and in pressing world leaders to listen to her pleas and those of our youth who will inherit the planet one day. Her actions and message and the strength she has gathered in the growing train of supporters behind her has even led to government leaders changing policies over carbon targets. She may be young and only 5 foot tall, but she is a quiet force with which to be reckoned. You cannot mistake her anger, her unbridled passion, or her frustration with world governments and the mechanisms of politics, but she manages to keep these sufficiently in check in order to keep her message clear and strong and thereby retain the attention and focus of those she needs in order to effect lasting climate change in the right direction.
The above examples are all well-known human beings who have graced, or still do grace, our planet, holding their wrath in check whilst sharing their moral outrage about contemporary issues. They have led by example, channeling their anger at society's injustices, into meaningful action and change, through carefully considered engagement and exposition, resulting in social movements that have brought attention to their causes and brought about real positive change in our societies. And so it is clear that wrath, when kept in check and channeled correctly, can be a conduit for good.
However, in the traditional sense of the word and as it is generally understood, as an original member of the 7 Deadly Sins, Wrath does nothing more than but heap misery on an already battered world-soul. It provokes and antagonises, and fans existing flames instead of quietening and stilling the adjunct noise. It merely adds to the milieu of chaos and confusion, and engulfs us all in a billowing pyre of smoke and mirrors. Wrath by erstwhile authoritarian and morally corrupt rulers has leached humanity of its soul on many occasions in history. A prime example being Adolf Hitler's onslaught on the Jewish communities of Europe during WW2, in his efforts to promote ethnic cleansing and the perpetuation of the Aryan race over all others. 6 Million Jewish people lost their lives over one man's wrath at the rise of Jewish prominence and success as he propagated an illusion of inferiority and used hate speech and propaganda to control the mindless and god-fearing masses of the 3rd Reich.
We are all part of a wonderful race of beings that have graced this planet for millennia, and if we want to continue to grace it for many more years to come, we all need to learn to harness the negative aspects of our human duality, to acknowledge the sins that lie waiting to entrap us all at any moment in time, and be prepared to rise above them, to honour our true higher beings and turn our weaknesses into strengths.
Namaste.
References and citations:
- Photo credit
- “wrath,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrath. Accessed 12/4/2021.
- Brittannica1
- Brittannica2
- I have a Dream
- Emmeline Pankhurst
- Greta Thunberg
- Cross-posted from Hive