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Posted: Sep. 05 2004,18:46 |
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There is another, radically different approach to the relation between anger and peace.
In my studies of great peace activists, I have found that they usually are motivated by their anger against injustice. It's like the righteous indignation of the Old Testament prophets or the reaction of Jesus to the money-changers. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr., "The supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force." For more on this, see the relevant chapter of my book Psychology for Peace Activists.
I fear that for some people the search for inner peace leads to escapism and avoidance of the great struggles for peace and justice, rather than providing a way to engage in them.
It is important, however, to learn how to be angry without resorting to violence. This is not easy, as Gandhi and King found, and it requires great discipline and training. Active nonviolence is a skill that must be learned.
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