People are capable of so much, from creating beautiful pieces of art to destructive acts against humanity.
Sadly, the majority of the world today is revolving around the latter.
I think it has to do with people just being angry.
Anger management is something that I have dealt with personally, and have experienced as a citizen of the world. It is not just an American thing.
Last summer, I visited my friend in the United Kingdom while he was taking classes at Cambridge University. In the evenings we would head to the bars and clubs to have a good time.
One night, I accidentally dropped my drink, causing a few drops of the blue liquid to spill on the individual next to me, a young British man.
He was enraged that his white shirt had a few blue stains on it.
It was befuddling to me that something so replaceable and fixable being slightly tarnished could result in such an enraged mood from somebody I didn’t even know.
Later in the night, we were on the dance floor with some of our other friends when fists started flying. The man who I dropped the drink on started a fight with some of our other friends; I ended up breaking one of my fingers defending my friends.
My case is just one out of countless instances in which one’s control over their anger was lost.
People in the world today have no idea on how to keep a hold over their emotions, specifically when they are angry.
Take for example, an instance in Los Angeles, an act of violence that is completely unbelievable. John McGraham, a well-liked homeless man who resided in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles was burnt alive last year by Ben Martin, 31 in an act of anger. Martin’s terrorization of the homeless led to him being fired from his job as a barber; he immediately laid the blame on McGraham. His anger at something that was ultimately his own fault, along with his hatred of the homeless led to a senseless death.
Martin was sentenced to life without the chance of parole last Wednesday.
Now believe me, I have been so angry that I have wanted to physically harm another individual, but this crime is something that I can’t believe another human could inflict upon another regardless of any injustices that occurred.
While classes and seminars for anger management are available I believe that most individuals believe that they are in control of their emotions.
The truth is they are not, and that skewers their judgment. Personally, when I am put into a situation where my emotions could get the best of me, I usually try and remove myself from the area.
I think this is one of the major problem points, in that people have to much pride or too big of an ego to remove themselves from the problem.
If I am unable to remove myself from the problem, I try to either focus on something else aside from what is driving me to anger, or on something that will calm me down, like taking deep breaths.
People need to realize that we all share this planet, and that despite the arguments and disagreements we may have with one another, we are all neighbors in some shape or form.
Everyone is a citizen of the Earth and everyone needs a little more self-control in their lives.
I fear if we as a global society continue to unleash the worst of ourselves upon our neighbors that we cannot truly prosper.