I've noticed that people seem to feel that we have a right to freedom. Especially Americans who confuse the saying 'Land of the Free' to mean that we have the freedom to say or do whatever we want. And without consequences.
I think it would be healthy to question ourselves; What kind of freedom do we want? Do we want the freedom to say and do whatever we want?Or; Do we want freedom from ignorance, anger and attachment? There's been quite a bit written on anger. We seem to struggle with how to act and what to do with this emotion when it comes up. It is something we may want to become aware of in ourselves and work with it, especially in today's volatile society. Growing up we are not necessarily taught how to process anger in a healthy way. More often than not we are told to dismiss it, don't let it enter your mind, push it away, or worse, act violently to "teach others a lesson." Anger does have its positive side though. Our brain, through thousands of years, has developed an automatic response of fight or flight which can save our life. And anger can also identify injustice and unfairness. If we practice Mindfulness we can choose a constructive and positive response to anger. Many religions teach that anger is a sin and that we should replace our anger with loving-kindness. And though I agree that loving-kindness is the better response, this is very difficult to do. When we are caught up in the physical net of emotions brought on by anger our bodies respond by pumping adrenaline and our limbic system takes over and this flight or fight response is not easily controlled. Jesus told us to "Love Your Enemies" in the gospel of Luke. 27 "But I say unto you which hear, 'Love your enemies', do good to them which hate you." 28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." The Prophet Mohammad and Islam the Religion of Peace The Messenger of Allah said: “If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent." Instructing that when a person becomes angry, there is a tendency for them to lose control and say things they will regret. In Buddhism; Anger is one of the three poisons - the other two are greed and ignorance – that are the primary causes of the cycle of samsara (suffering) and rebirth. Purifying ourselves of anger is essential to Buddhist practice. But what does this mean? To purify. Well, rather than ignore anger or push it away we should notice it. Observe it. Be aware of when it arises and investigate where the anger comes from. Most teachers will say it is fear and I agree. Fear of losing control (which we never had in the first place), fear of physical harm, fear for the safety of others or fear of losing our freedom... Here is a Mindfulness exercise that may help: Rather than trying to control anger, notice when the feeling of anger arises. There is usually a split second when we can notice what's happening and decide to NOT react. Take a breath and notice how your body is feeling. Where are you physically feeling anger? Is your stomach, throat or chest tight? Are you biting it back? Stuffing it down? Where did this feeling originate from in your past? When we begin to investigate and analyze the feelings both physically and emotionally we can understand our anger and choose our behavior toward it. We can take a breath and calm ourselves by exercising patience, loving-kindness or forgiveness. This too is easier said than done but with the practice of Mindfulness we can stop, pause, investigate and choose a positive or at least an appropriate peaceful response to the particular situation. Cultivating positive emotions, such as patience, compassion and lovingkindness in response to anger can transform our anger to inert peace. When we no longer allow anger to lead us we choose being peace itself and thereby enter a space of 'true freedom' that no one can take from us unless we give in to our anger. *Joanie Lane is a Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Spiritual & Life Coach, and Healing Movement Qigong Leader. She lives in Kelseyville, Ca. at her meditation center "A Positive Light". For more information visit her website at apositivelight.com **These are original writings by Joanie. Any quotes by others that have been included have been identified.
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