Image: Tim Walker

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”

Maya Angelou

This blog originally was about people being afraid of an angry Woman; I had an entire dialogue mapped out in my head of things I wanted to say but as I sat down to write this I realized that it isn’t just Women who face being misunderstood because of their anger, but there are tons of Men who are in the same boat, too.

After sharing an article the other day about how the world needs angry Women, I knew from the commotion it caused that it was time for me to say my piece.

Before I discuss the commentary, let me digress and tell you about myself and a friend called rage.

People misunderstand this friend of mine and often say she is careless, but I believe that rage, just like anger is necessary. These emotions are my natural state of being but I am not a violent person. You see, we go way back, in fact, rage was probably my first emotion. I came into this world premature, sick and fighting ferociously. I wanted to be here, and my Mom knew that; she said I fought from day one, have been stubborn since day one, and have scowled at the world around me since day one.

Throughout my entire life I was told to soften myself, to not react so quickly, quiet my voice, or not speak my opinion too much; these “rules” and expectations were drilled into my head since I can remember, by everyone around me.

My Capricorn rising, and Taurus moon were not having none of that silence though, and I continued to speak my mind and have my opinions no matter the cost. I didn’t care that people thought I was a bitch, I didn’t care that people mistook my look of thought for a look of judgment, I didn’t care about anything else except for seeking justice for those who couldn’t seek it themselves.

I have always had what I refer to as a Savior Complex, often mentioned in my blogs.

Admittedly, as a naïve young woman I used to want to actually save people from themselves, but that led to a string of unhealthy relationships (both romantic, and platonic) and levels of insanity that cannot be equated. I learned through experience that I can be a guide for those who have lost their footing on their path, but I cannot make them see or do anything; I cannot make them take that leap, I can only lead them to the edge.

I don’t seek fame, or acknowledgement; I don’t want rewards, labels or titles, I simply want to help people be as free in their truth as I am in mine.

The more people willing to burn in their truth, the quicker the fire spreads.

My rage, my beautiful, glorious rage is the fuel that keeps me going and keeps my fire burning strong.

It is the rage and anger that fuel my passion, my creativity and my drive. For so many people rage and anger come from a place of hatred, and THAT is where the main problem lies, and why so many people have this negative view of these emotions that, for me, are the most powerful tools in my arsenal.

When attempting to make your point or state your case the message can be and often is missed by many once anger and rage come into play because they see it as a sign of aggression. Men are considered dickheads or assholes for being angry, and Women are automatically crazy bitches or psychos.

I don’t know why assertion is seen as a bad thing either; without Alphas, the world would be out of balance. Being an Alpha doesn’t automatically make us or give us the freedom (or permission) to be pretentious pricks though.

The main reason people fear anger is because they see a reflection of themselves in those emotions. People are scared of their own anger and rage, so they fear it in others, too; which is one of the main reasons I am writing this.

Anger and rage do not have to be violent, and in many cases when these emotions are being expressed properly, they aren’t violent. The media has over sensationalized anger fueled by hatred so much that we as a collective have forgotten what healthy anger is.

People say that the opposite of love is hate, but I disagree; the opposite of love is anger.

Hate is stemmed from fear and ignorance, while anger can be rooted in these emotions, too, it can be channeled, and it can be productive. Hatred is toxic in every form (primarily to the one holding onto the hate), anger is not. I know many disagree with me and many believe that anger is toxic, and can lead to destruction, but I disagree on that point, too. This is yet another example of people confusing justified anger, and rage with anger stemmed from hate, willful ignorance, and intolerance.

If we want change, if we want a revolution, what are we going to do, spread more hate? Hate is what got us here in the first place.

Spread only love? That won’t stop wars, corruption, systematic oppression of entire groups of people: classism, sexism, racism, etc.

We need the anger to balance the love out. We need the anger to be our sword, and love be our medicine.

We need to show compassion, and spread love, of course, but first we need to get fucking angry!!!

I don’t mean become angry with each other; there is more than enough of that already. We need to get angry at the system–the empire that has molded our society to become what it is.

Yes, people have free will, and the freedom to choose, but some places in this world choice is simply not a factor, and if it is, it is live or die—live or die. Many of you reading my work, and myself included, will not understand what it means to be forced to make that choice every. single. day. These places become a cesspool and breeding ground of hatred.

We can empathize with those who are suffering but the only way we can fight back is to rise up using our own anger and direct it towards those in power. The empire must fall, or we all pay the price. And, if you are unsure of the “Empire” I refer to, then you aren’t paying attention.

A Revolution is coming; rage is going to start the fire, anger is going to kill the hate, and love is going to heal us from it all.