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Burn yourself, why don’t you.
Anger always claims a higher price from ourselves than it ever will from the people on whom we project it. And before you assume that to be false because of the lasting impact that it has on its victims, understand that that lasting impact is because of their anger at the one who was taking…
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Destroying peace to find peace
Rage is a destructive demand for significance when we believe that who we are is not enough to be important to those we love. The anger that spurs on the rage is a defence mechanism to protect ourselves from becoming invisible. We try, in our own little futile ways, to be enough without being able…
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Raging for love
Nothing destroys more than ingratitude, and ingratitude for the self is expressed through self-loathing. But self-loathing is disguised in many ways, the most common of which is anger. Anger is a defence mechanism that distracts attention away from what we feel inadequate about. It demands that we be taken seriously when we have no reason…
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The shame within
Good advice sometimes feels like a threat because it prompts us to acknowledge a flaw that we feel ashamed of. It’s like putting in your best effort to create a piece of art, and then having someone come along and innocently suggest that you should’ve tried this or that to enhance it further. No matter…
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Be gentle
Chances are very good that your harshness or cruelty is directed at the wrong person. Unfortunately, you’ll only realise this after the damage is done. Cruelty, like anger, is most often expressed to those weaker than us, even though we experience it at the hands of those stronger than us. Sadly, it is paid forward…
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Own your demons
When faced with the brutal aggression or harshness from another, it’s easy to convince ourselves that they treat us that way because of how they feel about us. Unless we’ve done something to specifically provoke them by treating them in a way that undermines their dignity or the trust that they placed in us, their…
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My silent scream
When rage is all you have left in you, know that you’ve surrendered yourself to the betrayal of the world. When rage becomes a silent scream or a deliberate protest, despite your best intentions, you are still defined by that betrayal. When rage colours your view of the world, you see demons in angels, and…
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Expecting hope
Expectations are simply hopes with a sense of entitlement. The reason for our entitlement to the fulfilment of our hopes are many. Most often, they’re based on what we contributed towards others. Sometimes we want that contribution reciprocated because we don’t want to allow others to treat us unfairly, or to take us for granted.…
