Aristotle and John Chrysostom believed that there are two types of anger – “instinctive” and “noble”.
We must get rid of the “instinctive”, and the “noble”, on the contrary, is shameful not to show.
Here is an excerpt from John Chrysostom, in which he comments on the New Testament and reflects on the nature of anger:
“Whosoever is angry with his brother in vain is subject to judgment,” says Christ. In these words, He does not completely eliminate anger: first, because a person cannot be free from passions; he can restrain them, but he has absolutely no power to have them; secondly, because the passion of anger can also be useful if only we know how to use it at the right time. See, for example, how much good Paul's anger against the Corinthians did. He saved them from great harm. Likewise, by his wrath, he converted the fallen people of Galatia and many others. When is a good time to get angry? When we do not take vengeance on ourselves, but restrain the insolent and guide the heedless. And when is anger inappropriate? When we are angry to avenge ourselves, which the apostle Paul also forbids, saying, “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath [of God]” (Rom. 12: 19); when we quarrel over money, which the apostle also does not allow, saying,” Why would you rather not be offended? why would you rather not suffer hardships?”(1 Corinthians 6: 7)? Just as this last anger is unnecessary, so the first is necessary and useful. But many do the opposite. They get angry when they offend themselves, but they remain cold and cowardly when they see another person being offended. Both are contrary to the laws of the gospel. Thus, it is not anger that is actually a violation of the law, but untimely anger, which is why the prophet also said,” When you are angry, do not sin ” (Psalm 4:5).
Righteous anger is usually referred to as the indignation of a person who considers himself right in relation to wrong. At the same time, the first person may not be a righteous person, a saint, or even a decent person. But it reserves the right to be angry and criticize the violator of its principles.�
And it happens that the object of right anger acts honestly and ethically, but his behavior does not fit into the generally accepted framework or moral criteria of the person who is angry.�
In short, righteous anger rarely does anything good or useful. At the level of the body, irritation, anger and anger are accompanied by the release of cortisol, which is related to adrenaline. Cortisol provides a temporary boost of energy, which a person takes as an internal confirmation of their rightness.�
A beautiful phrase belongs to Gregory Pomerantz: “The devil begins with the foam on the lips of an angel who has joined the battle for a holy just cause.”
Anger can't be righteous, as the saying goes, “buy default”! �This is not just a sin, but also the best evidence of wrongness. It is in a state of anger, when an individual is unable to make reasonable informed decisions, that the most unforgivable and, unfortunately, irreversible mistakes are made: annexations, assassinations of political opponents, shooting down of civilian aircraft, and so on. And only later, unconscious crimes committed under the influence of anger are forced to commit already conscious ones in order to hide the previous ones. That is why top officials of the state even those who have usurped power must undergo regular examinations by psychiatric specialists: the price of their rash actions is too high.
Aristotle and John Chrysostom believed that there are two types of anger – “instinctive” and “noble”.
We must get rid of the “instinctive”, and the “noble”, on the contrary, is shameful not to show.
Here is an excerpt from John Chrysostom, in which he comments on the New Testament and reflects on the nature of anger:
“Whosoever is angry with his brother in vain is subject to judgment,” says Christ. In these words, He does not completely eliminate anger: first, because a person cannot be free from passions; he can restrain them, but he has absolutely no power to have them; secondly, because the passion of anger can also be useful if only we know how to use it at the right time. See, for example, how much good Paul's anger against the Corinthians did. He saved them from great harm. Likewise, by his wrath, he converted the fallen people of Galatia and many others. When is a good time to get angry? When we do not take vengeance on ourselves, but restrain the insolent and guide the heedless. And when is anger inappropriate? When we are angry to avenge ourselves, which the apostle Paul also forbids, saying, “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath [of God]” (Rom. 12: 19); when we quarrel over money, which the apostle also does not allow, saying,” Why would you rather not be offended? why would you rather not suffer hardships?”(1 Corinthians 6: 7)? Just as this last anger is unnecessary, so the first is necessary and useful. But many do the opposite. They get angry when they offend themselves, but they remain cold and cowardly when they see another person being offended. Both are contrary to the laws of the gospel. Thus, it is not anger that is actually a violation of the law, but untimely anger, which is why the prophet also said,” When you are angry, do not sin ” (Psalm 4:5).
Harmful stuff.�
Righteous anger is usually referred to as the indignation of a person who considers himself right in relation to wrong. At the same time, the first person may not be a righteous person, a saint, or even a decent person. But it reserves the right to be angry and criticize the violator of its principles.�
And it happens that the object of right anger acts honestly and ethically, but his behavior does not fit into the generally accepted framework or moral criteria of the person who is angry.�
In short, righteous anger rarely does anything good or useful. At the level of the body, irritation, anger and anger are accompanied by the release of cortisol, which is related to adrenaline. Cortisol provides a temporary boost of energy, which a person takes as an internal confirmation of their rightness.�
A beautiful phrase belongs to Gregory Pomerantz: “The devil begins with the foam on the lips of an angel who has joined the battle for a holy just cause.”
Anger can't be righteous, as the saying goes, “buy default”! �This is not just a sin, but also the best evidence of wrongness. It is in a state of anger, when an individual is unable to make reasonable informed decisions, that the most unforgivable and, unfortunately, irreversible mistakes are made: annexations, assassinations of political opponents, shooting down of civilian aircraft, and so on. And only later, unconscious crimes committed under the influence of anger are forced to commit already conscious ones in order to hide the previous ones. That is why top officials of the state even those who have usurped power must undergo regular examinations by psychiatric specialists: the price of their rash actions is too high.