Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño , IE University
Anger, also called fury, rage, cholera, irritation or fierceness, is possibly the most unbearable defect for others and the least useful for the person who suffers from it, because its consequences are counterproductive. First of all, for the angry person, there are psychological studies that show the negative effects of tantrums on their health.
Furthermore, the effects that some think anger produces in others – obedience, distress, compunction – in reality rarely occur, since the recipients of the anger react reciprocally, raising their tone, or seem offended by the improper treatment. . Sometimes tantrums can even lead to laughter. Furious people are considered unsociable.
Bad manners tend to displease the majority, even more so those who usually show good manners with others. Personally, angry behavior does not usually inhibit me but can actually cause me to laugh internally.
SCREAMS AND TANTRUMS
One of the most vivid episodes in my memory, in which I was severely scolded, happened while I was doing military service, then mandatory in Spain. As a university student, I could modulate my attendance into several periods, combining studies and military. During the module dedicated to studying to access the rank of sergeant, at the Toledo Infantry Academy , we used to enjoy weekend leave.
In one of them I had planned to attend the wedding of one of my best friends, which was taking place a day’s drive away, so it was unlikely that I would arrive in time for the ceremonial call on Sunday. It occurred to me to ask for permission to arrive two hours later, already at night. By some strange pirouette of the officers, I suppose malicious, my request reached the general of the academy, who called me to his office.
– “Square!” he shouted when I entered.
He then unleashed a series of outbursts related to compliance with discipline, schedules, and rules, in addition to calling me insolent. Finally, he told me that he expected me to arrive on time that Sunday or he would activate my arrest.
– “At your service, my general,” I responded formally.
To which he responded with a furious “you can leave”, perhaps angry at my apparent calm.
As I mentioned, strangers’ rants don’t scare me, only the real threat of physical violence, which I try to avoid at all times. I finally attended the wedding but was absent from the subsequent agape. Thanks to the fast driving of another friend I managed to arrive in time to avoid any penalty.
After a few days, during a parade, the general called me and thanked me, in a good tone, for having complied with his order. Perhaps it was a sign of condescension on his part, but I admit that he was indifferent to me. He only remembered that person out of his mind, in his office. That is usually the image of the angry that remains in the memory of their victims. Seeing them appeased does not eliminate the reminiscences of their outbursts.
PURGATORY FOR THE CHOLERIC
The third tier of Purgatory in Dante ‘s Divine Comedy is occupied by those who purify their guilt for the sin of anger. In that space, the air is filled with ocher fumaroles, which symbolize the blindness suffered by those consumed by rabies.
Nowadays the expression “being blinded by anger” is also used. The discomfort of the burning smoke, in addition to the lack of vision and suffocation, make this ring one of the most painful in Purgatory. No analogy with the pleasures enjoyed in a Turkish bath.
The first of the characters that Dante encounters is the wife of Pisistratus , a tyrant of Athens in the 4th century BC who demands that her husband punish a suitor of her daughter who tried to embrace her. The consort judges her excessive request, nonsense, and soberly corrects her: “ What do we reserve for those who love us badly if we condemn those who love us?” .
Another of the scenes that Dante contemplates in this sphere is the martyrdom of Saint Stephen , who was stoned by a mob until his immolation. At the time of his sacrifice, the saint implored the forgiveness of his executioners, which ignited greater animosity in them.
Stoning is, in my opinion, the only mortal punishment where the executioner is a group, excluding the firing squad. This type of punishment, in addition to its cruelty and brutality, manifests cowardice, but also the outburst and alienation of those who become angry in a group.
Lynching is one of the most morally deplorable behaviors and reminds us of the famous phrase from the Gospel: “Whoever is free from guilt should cast the first stone.” Generally, hooliganism and collective hatred usually lead to excessive punishments, lacking the guarantees that a fair trial would have. Mobs are difficult to control and it is always desirable to avoid inflaming the masses with hate speech. Unfortunately, the current rise of populism has once again generated this type of angry and intolerant reactions, as well as widespread insults on social networks.
Later, Dante meets Marco Lombardo , a hero of the time who visited various Italian courts, thanks to his wit and sociability, although he was also known for his attacks of anger. Perhaps that character was what led him to rotate through different cities because, normally, angry people ruin the parties.
The opposite of anger, in the spectrum of vices, would be extreme meekness, apathy in the face of any event we experience. In the Aristotelian conception of virtue, as half between the extremes, there is temperance, responsible self-control. In short, personal balance.
A version of this article was published on LinkedIn .
Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño , President IE University, IE University
This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original .
