Thoughts, Stories, Action Newsletter: Ponder new ideas, learn through stories, then walk the walk.

What Makes You Angry?

August 9, 2020
|
by
Jason Gutierrez

THOUGHT

“Listen to your anger. It will tell you what you care about.” —  Dr. Emily Anhalt 

STORY

The other day I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from the office. I had about 15 minutes before needing to hop on my last conference call, so I went to quickly grab a few things for dinner that night.

During checkout, I realized I had forgotten my reusable grocery bags at home. Not wanting to put everything back, I did what 99% of Americans in South Carolina do — I used the plastic ones.

While watching the cashier try to double-bag a pack of chicken, I felt a bit of anger in my gut.

I said, “Don’t worry about it, man. One bag’s fine. You can put the other items in there too.” 

He then proceeded to ignore my request and double-bag the eggs I bought. As if that was going to save them from cracking. 

Not wanting to cause a stir, I passive-aggressively rebagged my groceries into one bag and put the others back onto the circle spinny-rack thing.

Though I didn’t lash out at anyone, I felt a good bit of anger after the incident. I guess my roommate and co-worker finally turned me into someone who cares about the environment these days. 

Later that evening, I saw Dr. Anhalt’s tweet and it all made sense — people get angry when it involves things they’re passionate about.

That made me think, “What else makes me angry?” 

  • People talking down to others as if they’re better, and other forms of bullying
  • People who play the victim 
  • People who refuse to exercise/care about their health, then complain about not feeling great

These are just a few hot topics that happen to grind my gears, which in turn happen to be subjects I care a lot about. 

So…what makes you angry?

ACTION

Get angry. Pay attention to the things that make you mad. There’s a good chance they’re important to you. And if not, well, that might be an important thought to investigate too.


Best,
Jason

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