Angry Stories

I often view things through the story we will tell ourselves when this moment moves from a current life event to a memory. And with the speed at which things happen in our society now, we move through stories and events faster than ever. We all tell stories this way; we shape what happened in the past by telling our own version. Whether we are being as honest as possible about what occurred, or at least leaving room for other versions of the story to appear to be possible. It seems in our current times, we no longer leave any room for other versions of what occurred. The truth often lies smack dab in the middle of all these stories, but we used to know that and conduct ourselves accordingly.

I remember when this quote used to be a guiding light for so many: Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Yet here we are all buckling under the burden to always be angry, to always be outraged, to never admit wrong. The worst of it all is to constantly and forever double down on your version of events. We are constantly viewing, telling, retelling, and seeking out stories of hate to keep the angry fire burning. Too few of us realize the danger and the social wreck anger constantly causes within our communities. It’s not the only emotion we possess. While anger is important, if left unresolved, our stories and lives are never complete.

Sadness, joy, excitement, happiness, nerves, calm, reflection, and countless other emotions make stories fascinating and guide us to the correct resolution we need for growth. Yet our stories on social media, in the news, the stories we tell each other, and, more importantly, the stories we tell ourselves seem to be devoid of anything but anger. There is a reason why one of history’s greatest storytellers knew anger was not the way.  It burns more quickly, constantly needs more fuel, and often leaves us unsatisfied. We do not ever examine our lives and say that's enough anger. We often scan more and more looking for situations to be angry at. Moving on, when we have burnt everything to the ground, only to do it again five feet to the left.

We have built nothing, accomplished nothing, and we have uplifted no one. We have realized it’s a rush to burn it all down and end up with ashes as far as the eye can see. Anger is a part of life and our stories, but over the years, I have realized how ineffective it is as a change agent. I guess scars, burns, and hurt are awful foundations to build new things on.  We should tell stories that encapsulate all emotions, the full story, the full spectrum of what it means to live, to care, to want for a better world. Maybe, just maybe, our communities would function better if we decided to stick with the things in life that lighten others' burdens. Those are the stories I plan on telling!