MEDITATION
FIERCENESS, ANGER
And Authenticity
W
e live in a culture of anger, so how to address fierceness? It is an aspect of the human
character played out daily on the television news and through the ‘twitterverse’ in
ways that are often harmful and destructive. Western society has reacted to this rage with
laws and philosophic or religious constraints that all tell the same message: ‘anger is bad’.
Yet we are fascinated by it and impelled to observe its action in the books that we read
and the movies and TV that we watch.
In Olympic sport, we praise its positive use, celebrating the determination that fierceness
brings to a skier rocketing down a mountainside or the strength of a Paralympic athlete
who overcomes incredible odds to excel.
Sometimes fierceness is needed to defend ourselves or to help defend others for whom we
are responsible. In the relative world of the ego, learning to stand up for oneself and others
is a vital part of declaring who we are and what we stand for. If we cannot do that, we are
liable to be ignored or run over. Much harm has been done here, W7V6