Recently we saw the expression of long held anger by large numbers of people of different races and ethnicities explode in our country. When anger is suppressed for long periods of time, the lack of justice will lead to the righteous explosion of anger. This anger was expressed on our streets, for the most part non-violently and may ultimately end up making long delayed and welcome changes in the way our police departments do their work and will ultimately lead to more democracy not only for black people and minorities whose rights have long been marginal, but for more protections of the rights of all of us.

To be human is to want recognition and justice whether we are a racial minority, a women, a gay person or a trans-sexual. This is a just and human struggle which is the end result of many centuries and in many countries of the fight for human rights for all. Why is this so difficult and why is this taking so long to achieve? This is a world struggle that has gone on for centuries. It is a continuing struggle for just rights against people with unusual wealth and power who have vested interests and do not want their world to change. Change is however inevitable. The more we learn and grow and develop as a civilized society, the more the world will change. That will be the challenge and the struggle for us now and for future generations. We all must learn how to live with change for the benefit of all.

Societal anger against injustice is only one side of human anger. There is the personal anger that all of us may feel when our lives and dreams are unfulfilled. In 2021 we are fortunate that we have therapists to help us learn how to cope with the complexity of modern relationships and modern living. There is also the more dangerous manifestation of anger which is repressed anger. That is the anger we feel about our lives from which we try to escape with drugs, or liquor or violence against others. It can become hatred against someone different and it can also become domestic violence. It is hard to fix because the people who displace their anger in this way often will not get the professional help they need to heal themselves. Anger used well against injustice is a benefit to humanity, but anger displaced can make us ill both personally and as a society and needs to be addressed and treated and healed. Unaddressed anger is a danger to our democracy and a danger to our future. A world in which we all understand and deal with our anger wisely will ultimately be a happier and safer world for us all.