Oh the Rage

You would think, in our ‘enlightened generation’, we would know better, but the emotion of rage has gone from something that is rare to a 24×7 stream of consciousness that we are kinda proud of. I was thinking this morning as I made my frequent pilgrimage to the dump that more than ever, opinions are everywhere…believe it or not there are more opinions than there are dollar stores, and they are like pimples…they pop up everywhere. 

Let’s go with a wild out of the box crazy idea that most ‘rage’ can be considered a ‘negative’ emotion, dark energy, something ‘not good for us’. Yea I know, like English, there is an exception to the rule, but that ‘exception’ isn’t what I am referring to here. 

Then let’s look at our relationships, with each other, with those that influence our lives, (our ministers, our politicians (please don’t), our news media, or better yet, the sides we don’t’ listen to or watch…and you know what you find? Rage or rage-inducing rhetoric is a huge part of our relationships.

Why? Because everything is tossed at us from our pulpits to our pundits, everything is designed to be ‘black and white’ with a hook added.  

Here is a 100% honest question. 

How many things in your life are black and white? Really…how many? 

Not too many years ago my primary relationship at home was defined by crisis. I was in a crisis-driven relationship. The hinge of everything we had was swinging back and forth, on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, around some kind of self-induced crisis. I was immersed in crisis which meant I started seeing the world around me through the lens of crisis. I eventually copied it and created that very same mentality in my work environment.

Crisis driven…

Let me ask you, friends, “Why do we stay in crisis-driven relationships?” For example, why…oh why do we believe in the talking sound bites and the great expansion of the OPINIONS of news readers, journalists, or those that have the burden of the limelight? Seriously, let’s talk about boots-on-the-ground reality here. How often has anything you’ve heard, read, or seen, which has hooked you into ‘rage’ really had anything to do with your PERSONAL life? 

As my wife often says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

Yea I know there are those crusaders who actually believe their voice matters in ALL matters but really? 

Time after time we are thrown one curveball of information after the other that is supposed to help, to inform, to teach, but I find most of the time it’s designed to separate, exploit our differences, and blind us to our unity and the similarities we all have with one another. 

Today more than ever, we need people who pull away from the tabloid crisis-driven optics that are hyperbole in design and just look for, as Joe Friday used to say (If you don’t know him look him up). 

“Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.”

With the advent of social media, we put into the hands of every child and adult, and their childish ways, the power of global commentary and communication. Instead of staying above the fray journalists have followed suit. Why, just follow the money…more clicks, more viewership…the more outrageous the statements, the more ad-driven revenue they yield…with the outcome of more division, separation and…sadly rage. 

I often ‘self-evaluate’ what is going in, and what is coming out of my soul, and I often find I am still playing the game of trying to keep up with the most ‘relevant’ occurrences. In reality, relevance can’t be attached to much of anything we feed ourselves with these days. 

I would recommend, that you try for yourself, to take a look at where your heart is, what you allow in, and decide, even for just one day, to step away from rage-inducing clickbait life and give your kids a hug, take the family out to a park, pull away from the digital domain and enjoy life. 

Peace on your Journey this week.