31.2 Anger

 31.2 Anger

Question:

What are the consequences of anger? 

Answer:

He who considers anger an important quality to have is sure to hurt

himself like the one who slaps the ground with his hand.                               (kural – 307) 

Is there anything else that destroys laughter and joy like anger?                   (kural - 304) 

Anger destroys the one who gets angry and one's kith and kin who

support him like a lifeboat.                                                                                     (kural – 306) 

If you want to protect yourself, guard against your anger. If you do

not control your anger, your anger will kill you.                                                 (kural – 305)

 

சினத்தைப் பொருளென்று கொண்டவன் கேடு

நிலத்தறைந்தான் கைபிழையா தற்று.                                                                     (குறள் – 307) 

நகையும் உவகையும் கொல்லும் சினத்தின்

பகையும் உளவோ பிற.                                                                                                  (குறள் – 304) 

சினமென்னும் சேர்ந்தாரைக் கொல்லி இனமென்னும்

ஏமப் புணையைச் சுடும்.                                                                                                 (குறள் – 306) 

தன்னைத்தான் காக்கின் சினங்காக்க காவாக்கால்

தன்னையே கொல்லுஞ் சினம்.                                                                                        (குறள் – 305)

 

Explanation:

The American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying, "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind." Undoubtedly, the loss of peace of mind leads to restlessness and unhappiness. Anger and happiness are diametrically opposite of each other. One does not coexist with the other. Valluvar is convinced that anger destroys laughter and joy, and thereby the angry person hurts himself like the one who slaps the ground with his hand and inflicts pain on oneself (Couplet – 307). Also, Valluvar believes that nothing else destroys the laughter of an individual like his own anger (Couplet – 304). The angry person hurts himself by destroying his own happiness and hurts others at whom his anger is aimed. Because of his anger, his relationship with his kith and kin who support him will also be affected. In turn, they might also become angry and suffer the consequences of their anger(Couplet – 306).

 

In addition to destroying one's peace of mind, laughter, and happiness, anger also causes several catastrophic consequences for those who are in the habit of frequently becoming angry. Medical practitioners and psychologists believe that anger increases stress levels and blood pressure. Researchers have observed that there is a three times higher risk of having a stroke from a blood clot to the brain or bleeding within the brain during two hours after an angry outburst. For people with an aneurism in one of the brain arteries, there is a six times higher risk of rupturing this aneurism following an angry outburst. Due to anger, there could be additional consequences such as sleep disorders, anxiety disorder, depression, respiratory problems, weakened immune system, and even heart attack. All these consequences arising from various levels of anger tend to reduce the life span of the angry individuals. Valluvar would have had no way of knowing all these complications arising from anger. But he was sure that those who exhibit angry behavior are likely to die because of their anger (couplet – 305).