Tone down the anger, please

Michael Clifford (Forum, Dec 29) appears to have strayed into a ‘societal-therapy’ zone, in terms of dealing constructively and productively with the nation’s festering anger quotient.

Carping and criticising is now old hat, holding little salience or validity as a viable emotional management strategy for the nation at large. Of course anger is an emotion which is the active manifestation of sentient and perceived hurt, distress, oppression, betrayal, disempowerment and/or disillusionment, etc. Thus, it’s very important, nay vital, to give some meaningful expression to such angry feelings, to honour the self and group alike.

Hard to know quite how to have a significant transformative impact on political templates, State bodies, or major societal tapestries. Anger is valuable when re-directed for progress and positive outcome. It is a necessary human emotion, to process certain major insults to our being. The challenge is to use its vibrant energy with calibrated intensity, towards a liberated collective propensity for the common good.

Michael Clifford is quite right. We’ve (nearly) had all the anger talk we can swallow, and it doesn’t seem to have got us that far, though it does serve some purpose, by way of affording catharsis, and nailing the wrongs. If we can avoid proffering nonsense quick-fix solutions, and dedicate ourselves to demonstrating and remonstrating with purpose and poignance, we might have a chance to relieve ourselves and ‘re-live’ with some decency.

Perhaps Michael Clifford has articulated the first mission statement of a new Nama —aka the National Anger Management Agency. Let’s hope that all who sail in her, proceed with calm decorum yet focused ‘fire’ — ‘iron-fist/velvet glove’ mode.

As Clifford worthily concludes: “Let’s have a little reality in the coming years, a little social solidarity, and maybe just a little optimism that things might just start getting better.”

Jim Cosgrove

Lismore

Co Waterford