A Time for Anger

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I don't know why it often takes a rough front to make people act properly before you. Why does it have to come to that before they see you as their equal or someone worth respecting? I don't demand respect, but sometimes arrogant people need some "fireworks display" to give you some attention, long enough to make them see your point on an important issue.

Begging or demanding attention is the last thing you should do. I don't care if people think little of me or see me as nobody. Anyway, my wife and I are kinda used to that treatment. But in issues of right and wrong you have to put across your side of the issue and it may need some fire works display. I hate being violent but I can be, anytime, since I teach streefighting self-defense and in college was even a member of Tau Gamma Phi.

I'm usually patient, meek and respectful, regardless. But some smart Alecks want to size you up and see what you're made of. I don't know why they have to do that and why they have to try that on me---when I'm among the meekest and kindest people on earth, seriously. I look tough and fierce in person---molded like that by years of martial arts streetfighting training---but I never abuse or bully people.

I get angry, yes (the bible says be angry and sin not), but I make sure it's nothing personal. It's just that a lot of people these days are arrogant and would like to try their arrogance on you.

Most times I let them get away with it (because it proves nothing to me). But sometimes, to assert what is right and proper, I confront them with toughness and fierceness. It's a must sometimes. There's a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. God provides a time for everything. Even a time to join and withdraw. Nonjoiners know that.

Even Christ kicked out money traders from the temple (kicked out their things, not them). War is always on around us and we must learn to pick our battles shrewdly. Sometimes, fights are inevitable and you must know how to handle them well.

Especially if you're a man, you should master the art of war.

Wars and battles are not always physical. Most are mental. A good number are spiritual. In this sense, I'm a veteran warrior, warring in all dimensions, although I'm still open to learn more. A real warrior is ready to fight in every way, but he often seeks peace. He easily disregards offenses or ignores ill treatment but would unrelentingly lash back to defend guarded principles.

Warriors often stay out of fights because they know what destruction they can wrought. Often, it is the coward who starts trouble and tries your temper and then hides or runs away.

Others may just be good at fighting per se, but sheer violence does not attract a warrior. Warriors know the proper time to fight, defend, maim or kill. The proper time to refrain and to engage. The proper time to forgive, be cautious or forget. Forgiveness is automatic for most warriors, but often it is with caution, discernment and watchfulness. God forgives and forgets, but he still watches you each moment anyway, checking the motives of your heart.

Even Jesus didn't trust the crowd around him.

But Jesus didn't trust them, because he knew human nature. [John 2.24]

When wounded and scarred, you have two options after---become bad or good. You may decide to be affected negatively and hurt other people as well, or decide to grow positively from the experience and become a better person, the exact opposite of what you suffered and the guy who made you suffer. You alone are responsible for yourself. You cannot blame anyone or anything.

Good warriors may sometimes be dragged to a bitter fight for a while, but after the ordeal, he seeks solitude, ponders and recovers, and decides what to make of it and learn. The goal in mind is always to be a gentler and better warrior. Stupid fighters just fight and get angry while cowards just run and hide and do another stupid thing later. You see them in other places, making new troubles there again. The stupid fighter and the coward deserve each other.

You often see them enjoy each other's company.

Anger has its vital lessons. The idea is not to remain a nice person all your life. That would mean compromise. Neither is it being always angry. That would be misery. Its to expose wrong and have nothing to do with it. Often, this means a good measure of anger. But often, too, we thwart our use of anger or use too much of it. We become "too righteous," as Ecclesiastes says, and "perish in our righteousness." And this somewhat makes the wicked "live long in their wickedness."

This is when we need to seek God after being angry (or even during anger) and learn its vital lessons. It's okay to get angry sometimes, but it's wrong to keep getting angry of the same things. Some things in life are bound to get wrong a number of times and some people love to stay wrong all their lives. It's their right. If you think you have the right to be right, they too have the right to be wrong.

God will make everything clear if you seek him (and every warrior should be a seeker). Most times all he wants is for true warriors to keep still and know he is God. This is why excellent warriors are quiet most times. They're even quiet in their fierce anger.