Anger Dialogue

“Anger rarely gets you very far,” said the tree soberly.
                   “Yes – I see you can sense nuances. I actually wrote that article while I was in a rage.”
                   “What had happened?”
                   “A newspaper had written that I was an ignorant provocateur. Sometimes my temper gets the better of me and in this case I sat down and wrote my anger out of my system to clarify my position.”
                   “Did it work?” asked the tree.
                   “Yes, I think it helped me relax, but I don’t know about the readers. Sometimes I can work for days on end if I feel I’ve been attacked or insulted.”
                   “If you want to create a dialogue, an attack or counter-attack is not a good way to start,” said the tree, and continued. “Try hitting your palm against the ground – hard.”
                   It sounded like a strange request.
                   “How hard?” I asked.
                   “Hard!”
                   Wondering what was going on, I hit my hand hard against the ground.
                   “Now lay the other hand calmly on the ground.”
                   Still wondering, I did as the tree said.
                   “Can you feel it?”
                   “Feel what?”
                   “You feel almost nothing in the hand you hit against the ground – besides pain, of course. The other hand can feel and sense the slightest sensation. The hand that can feel is having a dialogue – the other is in conflict. Everyone understands the importance of dialogue, but only few are capable of it. If you want to influence yourself and your surroundings, dialogue is the only way.”
                   I looked at my hands and the tree spoke again. “Look at the ground. What is it doing?”
                   “Nothing,” I said.
                   “Right. It stays where it is, supporting your hand. It stands firm and holds you up. A mutual respect is formed. Even though the ground is always beneath you, you don’t look down on it. If you can, you should treat other people likewise because this is what makes you strong.”
                   “That sounds very good, but it sure is hard.”
                   “Exactly,” said the tree, mysteriously. “It is tempting to surround oneself with information and declare oneself wise. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the art of knowing oneself. If you get to know yourself, you will be able to create a dialogue, and in a real dialogue other people will never think of lashing out at you.”
                  “Why do we seek pain, then?” I asked.
                  “When our energy and arguments are spent, we seek pain. We seek pain in order to close the mind to things we cannot handle. If you lose control, anger helps create space. One could also say that anger is fear in motion …