Aggression is not always a bad thing. The Jedi Compass begins to acknowledge this by stating that “to build on the Jedi Virtues, a Jedi must keep themselves open to the world. Through the misuse of aggression, they miss out on opportunities to further their cause. This does not preclude being assertive. A Jedi needs to learn to find the most effective means of resolving a conflict through the least bit of hostility possible.”
A common misconception “is that we do not, and cannot, embrace ourselves completely. We can—I know of anger, I know of jealousy, and I know of greed. There is a full range of emotions to experience, and they are part of a human experience.” (Adi Klem) To deny that these things exist is to deny a key component of who we are. Furthermore, in studying the future of Artificial Intelligence, we have learned that our emotions are key components to the decision making process. So it is more important that Jedi work on understanding how their emotions play into their decision-making process.
Master Adi Klem once said “Mindfully, I can see how hate can create separation between myself and understanding the Force. It can create ignorance, which can lead to discomfort and blindness to those discomforts, even though it could be a powerful drive for some. I can also see how conflict, especially of the emotional variety which stems from all things, can unite people and cause people to evolve through struggle. If we approach things with the mindful care to understand and grow from it, we are granted knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our surroundings.”
We need to determine what our emotions mean. This is when meditation comes in handy. Slow down, determine why you are angry, then start deciding how to move forward.
As much as I really don’t like Yoda, and I don’t- I’m probably the only person in history that doesn’t like him, in the Jedi Apprentice series book “The Rising Force” by Dave Wolverton, Yoda offers this tidbit of advice in regard to anger and fear:
“Befriend them, you should. Look them in the eye without blinking. Use faults as your teachers, you should. Then, rule you, they will not. Rule them, you shall."
When we are ready to accept that these things are a part of our daily life, we can move past the idea that they will hinder us from our life’s mission, or even the mission immediately before us. Once that is achieved, we can see the pathway before us to overcome our aggression.
As John Camillieri put it:
“I do not believe that anger ever really leaves us but it can be channeled and used in a creative framework to better our own lives and the lives of others. Emotions cannot be constricted, for if one attempts to quash them they return in often insidious forms that are more damaging and harmful than if one just accepted the original impulse to begin with.”
Here are some steps to help you deal with your anger
Step 1- Admit your anger and realize what made you angry.
Knowing how you feel physically and emotionally when anger arises may not be as easy as we think it is. We get carried away. Aligning yourself to a point where you can analyze everything from feeling elated to feeling the most negative emotions when they arise, helps us keep our emotions in check. It’s of note that even feeling good and moving forward is not always a good thing. One way to help you achieve this, is to meditate on your emotions as a whole. Start out by meditating once a week on the various emotions you’ve felt and determine how they interacted with the days. If you can get once a day, that is ideal.
Step 2- See your mistakes
Admitting to yourself that you are angry might be the easier step here. But we constantly justify ourselves in once we’ve admitted our anger. As though we did nothing wrong in the process of our anger. But unless you caught your anger before you said or did anything, we’ve always done SOMETHING wrong. We could have done something better. Take time to really think on what you could have done better and admit you where you were wrong.
Now it’s of note that being angry itself is not wrong. The only thing you may or may not have been wrong in, is how you reacted to the situation when the emotion arose. Did you throw dishes? Or did you talk it out?
Step 3- Deal with your problem
This might mean starting with an apology and then working through the issue. Of course, there are times when dealing with the issue means leaving it alone. People get angry all the time about things that are outside of their control, they may have told the police about something, but the authorities’ hands are tied due to legal precedence. When these incidents occur, it is may be more advantageous to breath and try to find a way to not let it get to you, or to vent to friends. Finding our inner peace in times of distress, when we are not in control, can be hard. In those times, try turning it over to “the Force”.
Aggression can help us find reason to tackle a problem, and even give rise to a passion for helping others. Abused children can choose a path of destruction later in life, or they can find a reason to become helpful citizens that fight against abuse. Unlike Yoda’s quote from the prequels that Anger eventually leads to the Darkside, anger and aggression applied with wisdom, knowledge and discipline can become just as helpful to creating life as a controlled burn can for a farm.
Know this, though, the ends do not justify the means. Action and words which causes undue or immoral harm hurts your ability to impact the world around you in a positive way, and only breeds more hatred.
For your assignment, assess how well you currently work with your own aggressiveness. What do you know sets off your anger? Are there any instances where you feel aggression may be necessary? Write your findings in your Holocron.
May the Force Guide your path.