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.