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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 672229" data-attributes="member: 812">Except for the fact that I have responded to your posts with as much attention and intelligence I can muster. If that's not taking you seriously, I don't know what is. I note that you have attempted to dismiss my ideas without discussion at every turn, while I have at least attempted to engage with your ideas and express my understanding of what you have said. What should someone do if they want to give you a reason to take them seriously?I can presume to tell anyone anything I like. It's up to them to agree or disagree. Why can't I tell you what I think about how your emotions work? If I'm obviously wrong, show me how. It should be simple. I believe I have considered your statements carefully and have put forth my views as clearly as I can. I have certain ideas about the way human emotions work and I think they're true. I went ahead and posted those ideas. Anyone who disagrees is more than welcome to explain why they think my ideas are wrong. I like being proven wrong. It tells me I'm learning.This is how conversation works, as far as I know. Fred puts forth an idea and George responds, either by pointing out flaws or by putting forth a contending idea. I don't believe I'm ignoring the laws of polite society in what I'm doing, but perhaps I'm wrong.Surely the best way to rebut my ideas is to point out the logical flaws in them? I'm sorry if I was vague. I will attempt to be more clear.When people express anger towards others, what they are doing is displacing their anger and frustration with themselves. Rather than acknowledge their own failings they seek to lay blame, whether upon another person or society or what have you. Anger is a process of blame, which is necessarily a process involving moral judgement. And making moral judgements is a way to make ourselves feel better without having to make ourselves better people.This has nothing to do with why bad things happen to us. I am not suggesting that it is a person's fault when something terrible happens to them. Nor am I suggesting that people who do bad things are somehow not responsible. All I am saying is that when you feel yourself growing angry with someone, the healthiest thing to do is to examine your own actions and feelings and question why you are feeling this way, and if there isn't perhaps something within yourself that is making you feel this way.My experience has absolutely convinced me that my displays of anger are always motivated from a desire to avoid considering myself or some quality of myself. Whether to avoid considering my own helplessness in the face of some tragedy, or how some incredibly annoying fellow reminds me of traits I wish I didn't possess, I have always found it to be the case. In the people that I have observed, I have always found it to be the case. I have not come across a single instance in which it was not the case, and so I have come to consider it a truth.An important truth, and one that I think leads to powerful insights into oneself. The question of "What is it about ME that is making me so angry right now?" will always have an answer that is worth listening to. Even when you're raging at the photocopier.Well, if you can clearly say so, then it must be true. Why not just say so?Oh right, I'm not worth it. Well, my mom likes me. In any event, I reiterate: the question "What is it about ME that is making me so angry right now?" is always worth asking oneself. That's really all I wanted to say.</blockquote>

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