Idaho faith: Don’t be tempted by an addiction to rage. It makes peace, change impossible
Psalm 37:8: “Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.”
We live in an age of rage addiction. With the advent of social media, it has become incredibly easy to feed into a satisfying cycle of rage. One can speedily discover something to be enraged over, then share that rage with friends, and then rage against enemies, which will create yet another thing to be enraged over. We have endless content online to stoke the fires.
Rage feels good in the moment. It can feel powerful; in fact, rage seeks only to gain and express power. Rage can cement relationships with allies against a common enemy (whether that enemy is real or is simply a convenient scapegoat). It divides the world neatly into “us” and “them.” It feels good to have a sense of righteous indignation. Rage does not allow for compromise, conversation or change. Rage demands victory at any cost.
Our politics and society are now bearing that cost. Have you seen our nation and our state in such dysfunction? Have you seen people so excited to be downright hateful? Does that, in any way, sound healthy or helpful? How are we supposed to tackle the issues facing our nation when people are more interested in feeding their addiction to rage than they are in creating real solutions?
As I look around the nation, I see so much rage.
▪ The rage against transgender children and their families, with laws targeting their participation in school programs and their access to health care.
▪ The rage against democracy and voting, with laws trying to create absurd limits on citizens’ participation at the ballot box — and the strange rhetoric that we are not a democracy but a “constitutional republic.” China, Iran and Russia are all republics with constitutions; what distinguishes the U.S. is democracy, which is a critical safeguard of freedom.
▪ The rage against the common good, where we earnestly desire and work for not just our own good, but also for each other and the good of the nation and the world. What happened to listening to the needs of others and working for the fruits of liberty for all people?
Rage is everywhere. It is easier to rage than it is to make solutions, to make community or to make peace. And I mean true peace, not just the absence of apparent conflict.
We can be angry about things and work for change, but rage is not helpful. Anger can still respect the other as a child of God; rage cannot. Anger can be useful in small doses to spur us to action. Rage, however, is not going to create meaningful, positive action. It can only destroy others and ourselves. No wonder the ancients distinguished anger from the deadly sin of wrath.
Before you start to blame “the other side,” take a look in the mirror. How has rage addiction become part of you? So very few of us are immune to it. It’s easy to be trapped by rage, and you are not alone if you are addicted to rage. I have to catch myself when I feel enraged by things. I speak to you not just as a priest or as a Christian, but also as a human being who struggles with the same things you do.
May we be delivered from our addiction to rage!
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)