Bitter Waters

...if you take anger into a second day, anger changes: it morphs into bitterness
- Kerry & Chris Shook in "One Month to Live"

I just returned from one of my two monthly blood donations. The team at The Woodlands Neighborhood Donor Center and I have become quite close; constantly teasing and filling the suite with laughter. I have the unique opportunity, twice a month, to give both platelets and plasma; essentials for trauma victims as well as cancer patients (since donating my hair is out of the question). I have been donating blood for some time now, yet I am still intrigued by the process of the machine taking my blood and breaking it down into the needed platelets and plasma. While not a true morphing, there is a wonderful transformation of my whole blood into constituent parts...
Anger is quite similar to blood, when you pass it through the "Time and Meditation Machine" - it becomes something else. Sadly, none of its constituents are useful for the giver or the recipients. Whether you are facing the harsh aftermath of the recent turn of economic events or you're dealing with a personal dilemma of catastrophic proportions, there's a possibility that you can, could, or have become bitter.
We have a tendency to want to explain things. And, in the right setting, this can be a wonderful trait. Without it, polio would not have been eradicated nor would many of the technological advancements that have changed our health and way of life been possible . Yet, this incessant need to explain things can also lead us to become bitter. According to The New Ecyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, the word "bitter" comes from the AngloSaxon word "bitan" - to bite. The problem with biting down without any other thought is that we cannot be nourished - essential, we do not grow.
Imagine being at your favorite steakhouse and ordering their best cut; cooked to your specifications, you cut a piece and do nothing but bite into it. No chewing, no swallowing; nothing. Would you gain anything?
See? That's what happens when we become bitter. We bite down and never enjoy the flavor of life. We do not gain the nutrients from the environment that we need to grow or improve ours and the human condition. There are going to be many ups and downs; and being angry is fine - after all, it is a human emotion. However, we need to be careful not allow our anger (righteous or not) to become something that is of no use to us or others.

What are you doing with your anger?

(c) 2009, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai. No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.