Feeling Anger and Hatred

I think that thoughts and feelings of anger and hatred happen. In cases of violence done to one, or descrimination and injustice, feelings of anger and sometimes hatred naturally arise from the depths of one's being. If I feel no anger toward those who hurt or injury me or another I am not being true to what is happening inside me. It is here that the Inner Light transforms my anger and hatred, changes my perceptions if they are distorted for any reason. The Light comes into the darkness, is not overcome by it, and burns brighter than ever. It is in this process of conversion that I ask for forgiveness, and ask Jesus to teach me how to forgive as he forgave those who hurt him. Over time the Light does transform me so that I feel compassion toward those who so greviously injured me.

Feelings of anger and hatred are appropriate when one's humanity is denied or violated. These feelings and thoughts are not good or bad in themselves. What I do with them is what counts. Having trust that God can and will transform them into something good is what counts.

And it does happen, this changing of terrible injustices and violences done to one with resulting permanent multiple serious disablities into something good, true and beautiful. Where there is a breath of life there is still hope. There is always hope, even in the midst of death, dying, craziness, lies and utter destruction.

When another treates me or others as less than human, denies me my human rights, acts as though I do not exist, speaks only of the one doing these actions. The denial of my humanity does not take away my humanity. What I do with this experience is what matters. I can yell and scream back at them. I can hit back at them in someway. Or I can choose the way of nonviolence, the way of peace. I can choose to call them my sisters and brothers. I can treat them with kindness and compassion. I can speak the truth to them and take what comes. To choose and to walk in the way of nonviolence, peace, compassion and truth in the fact of being treated as non-human or violently comes from the Light. It is the Light that empowers me to walk the way of nonviolence, compassion and truth in my life. 11/18/97