by Macabee Callard
One of the biggest, and most unknown, problems the world is facing right now, (at least in my view) is the anger issue. Anger is like a virus unless you’re very cool-headed. When one gets mad, you stop thinking about being reasonable and listening to each other and just try to stay mad at the other person, ignoring them. Then you start filtering what they are saying into what you want to hear, which is: aggression. You can then keep it up and not make peace. I think that usually when you are angry you are unconsciously trying to get attention for yourself, a form of pity. Once you have found something to be mad at them for, you can keep things that way. Eventually you will probably want to make up, but not before they regret what they have done and said sorry, maybe even having acknowledged that you didn’t do anything wrong. Another form is when you just want to hear everyone else shut up. You want the opposite of attention.
There are 2 main ways of coping with anger: ignoring it and acknowledging it.
The first type I’ve heard many people say they do. They simply read a book, watch a show, or ignore the other person until they cool down. The other way is to confront them (the person you’re mad at) and solve your problems. I find the second a better option for you will not have it hanging over you. You will also learn about the person you’re talking to and might be able to stop arguments in the future. Though, in the case that you can’t agree, you just have to accept your differences. Those are most of the downsides of anger, but it does do some good. You can solve interesting philosophical problems and have a good discussion. You could find out more about the other person and, most importantly, make sure that this will not happen again and that you two are on good terms. I think this is a rudimentary skill, (one which I am working on) and people have to develop it for society to function.
Much Ado About Something 