Dear Peaceful Beings,
Most of us human beings get annoyed, even angry sometimes, in the face of some situation we feel has wronged us. However, there is a qualitative and quantitative difference between moderate degrees of anger and unbridled rage, especially if leading to action of violence meant to harm or kill another human being. Also, there are differences between feeling anger within, speaking angry words, and engaging in angry acts, including picking up a weapon to beat or murder.
I believe that, if we could moderate rage, and allow individuals to better control or sublimate their anger into other channels, many worldly problems arising from angry violence ... so many killings, cases of child and spousal abuse, road rage incidents and more ... could be avoided. Thus, anger (especially extreme anger) has always been one of the "Three Poisons" which the Buddha termed a disease of human kind, and reducing cases of out of control anger in human beings would be one of the "three small tweaks" I see which would, by itself, reduce the prevalence of a variety of plagues on our present society.
Will we soon have good ways to do so?
I foresee small, harmless devices --voluntarily-- implanted in individuals which, on detecting signs of rage in the human body (e.g., hormonal release into the bloodstream, accompanying brain wave patterns associated with anger) would automatically release a calming pharmaceutical or electrical stimulation which would reduce the anger to milder levels or calm. It would do what Zazen does for many of us, but more widely for those with true anger/violence issues, and more effectively. Like devices could be used to treat sexual predators, including child sexual predators, upon detecting sexual arousal in such offenders, followed by pharmaceutical or electrical measures to cancel arousal.
I remind readers: In the following I continue to ask, assuming that certain medical, genetic and other technological developments ...
... how should such technologies be best employed to heal some of what troubles this world??
My book states:
Likewise, the second of the ‘three poisons,’ anger and violence, will soon be dealt with more effectively than today as we better identify the portions of the brain and genetic inheritance that lead to such reactions. Anger and violence were useful in the jungle, but are dangerously counter-productive in this modern world of automatic rifles, suitcase bombs, and nuclear and chemical weapons. As we will discuss in our next chapter, some particularly violent persons in society, criminals who murder, assault, abuse and rape others, may be humanely rendered incapable of extreme anger and desire for violence. Real treatment and intervention focused primarily on those with extreme, uncontrollable “anger issues” will result in great benefits, both for the individuals suffering in their anger, and the targets of their anger, as well as society as a whole. Such extreme cases of excess anger stand in contrast to most in the ordinary adult population, who even today understand how to keep their emotions in more moderate, healthy check. Most individuals may see no need to reduce their natural levels of becoming angry, thus may choose not to do so, or through medication and other intervention, voluntarily to tone their anger down a bit.
Again, to benefit society and suffering individuals, we simply need to tone down anger at the point where it becomes truly harmful and destructive. Anger and violence should not be confused with righteous indignation, for example, nor with being a bit bothered or peeved sometimes. In actuality, it is a very good thing to have a well-placed sense of injustice, to see a true wrong and wish to right it, or to be concerned about some behavior in others one feels deserves protest and correction, perhaps with a sense of personal injury and willingness to stand up to fix what’s wrong. We can follow the examples of social reformers such as the Rev. Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, who all reacted non-violently, yet firmly and persistently, in resisting social and world situations that needed resisting. In contrast, overflowing rage, especially if acted out in angry violence, inevitably does more harm than good, particularly when resulting in drive-by shootings, wrathful beatings, ethnic cleansings and terrorist bombings. Injustices should be righted, and there are times to act in defense of the innocent, but let us work to do so without falling into hate and injuring others in our fury.
It is possible that, deprived of all anger, humans would lose too much of their drive to be human. Even healthy sports such as football have been described as controlled and sublimated anger and substitute warfare expressed peacefully on a field with a ball. I do not believe it wise that human beings forsake all of their violent nature, for there are times that some degree of violence is needed in life. Nonetheless, violence must always be our last resort and not done in runaway anger even when committed in justifiable defense or with other necessity.
There is a Precept in Buddhism which guides us to “avoid the taking of sentient life.” Although different Buddhists draw the line differently, this precept can be interpreted to allow reluctant violence in defense of both self and innocent victims when attacked by a human criminal, a tyrant, a deadly animal or the like. Reasonable uses of force and policing are sometimes called for. Even then, we should avoid acting with pleasure, or retaliating in anger, however much we feel compelled to fight back. We should respond with regret at the mere fact of needing to do so. Buddhist and other ethicists must continue the long debate on where to draw the lines of unjustified violence versus acceptable defense of self and others.
(to be continued)
Gassho, J
stlah
Most of us human beings get annoyed, even angry sometimes, in the face of some situation we feel has wronged us. However, there is a qualitative and quantitative difference between moderate degrees of anger and unbridled rage, especially if leading to action of violence meant to harm or kill another human being. Also, there are differences between feeling anger within, speaking angry words, and engaging in angry acts, including picking up a weapon to beat or murder.
I believe that, if we could moderate rage, and allow individuals to better control or sublimate their anger into other channels, many worldly problems arising from angry violence ... so many killings, cases of child and spousal abuse, road rage incidents and more ... could be avoided. Thus, anger (especially extreme anger) has always been one of the "Three Poisons" which the Buddha termed a disease of human kind, and reducing cases of out of control anger in human beings would be one of the "three small tweaks" I see which would, by itself, reduce the prevalence of a variety of plagues on our present society.
Will we soon have good ways to do so?
I foresee small, harmless devices --voluntarily-- implanted in individuals which, on detecting signs of rage in the human body (e.g., hormonal release into the bloodstream, accompanying brain wave patterns associated with anger) would automatically release a calming pharmaceutical or electrical stimulation which would reduce the anger to milder levels or calm. It would do what Zazen does for many of us, but more widely for those with true anger/violence issues, and more effectively. Like devices could be used to treat sexual predators, including child sexual predators, upon detecting sexual arousal in such offenders, followed by pharmaceutical or electrical measures to cancel arousal.
I remind readers: In the following I continue to ask, assuming that certain medical, genetic and other technological developments ...
(1) are inevitable and coming anyway, cannot be halted, cannot be ignored;
(2) have a high chance of being misused by bad actors unless we use them in beneficial ways;
(3) can be shown to be effective and safe to use; and
(4) can be introduced in an ethical way respectful of individual free choice, civil and human rights ...
(2) have a high chance of being misused by bad actors unless we use them in beneficial ways;
(3) can be shown to be effective and safe to use; and
(4) can be introduced in an ethical way respectful of individual free choice, civil and human rights ...
... how should such technologies be best employed to heal some of what troubles this world??
My book states:
~ ~ ~
Likewise, the second of the ‘three poisons,’ anger and violence, will soon be dealt with more effectively than today as we better identify the portions of the brain and genetic inheritance that lead to such reactions. Anger and violence were useful in the jungle, but are dangerously counter-productive in this modern world of automatic rifles, suitcase bombs, and nuclear and chemical weapons. As we will discuss in our next chapter, some particularly violent persons in society, criminals who murder, assault, abuse and rape others, may be humanely rendered incapable of extreme anger and desire for violence. Real treatment and intervention focused primarily on those with extreme, uncontrollable “anger issues” will result in great benefits, both for the individuals suffering in their anger, and the targets of their anger, as well as society as a whole. Such extreme cases of excess anger stand in contrast to most in the ordinary adult population, who even today understand how to keep their emotions in more moderate, healthy check. Most individuals may see no need to reduce their natural levels of becoming angry, thus may choose not to do so, or through medication and other intervention, voluntarily to tone their anger down a bit.
Again, to benefit society and suffering individuals, we simply need to tone down anger at the point where it becomes truly harmful and destructive. Anger and violence should not be confused with righteous indignation, for example, nor with being a bit bothered or peeved sometimes. In actuality, it is a very good thing to have a well-placed sense of injustice, to see a true wrong and wish to right it, or to be concerned about some behavior in others one feels deserves protest and correction, perhaps with a sense of personal injury and willingness to stand up to fix what’s wrong. We can follow the examples of social reformers such as the Rev. Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, who all reacted non-violently, yet firmly and persistently, in resisting social and world situations that needed resisting. In contrast, overflowing rage, especially if acted out in angry violence, inevitably does more harm than good, particularly when resulting in drive-by shootings, wrathful beatings, ethnic cleansings and terrorist bombings. Injustices should be righted, and there are times to act in defense of the innocent, but let us work to do so without falling into hate and injuring others in our fury.
It is possible that, deprived of all anger, humans would lose too much of their drive to be human. Even healthy sports such as football have been described as controlled and sublimated anger and substitute warfare expressed peacefully on a field with a ball. I do not believe it wise that human beings forsake all of their violent nature, for there are times that some degree of violence is needed in life. Nonetheless, violence must always be our last resort and not done in runaway anger even when committed in justifiable defense or with other necessity.
There is a Precept in Buddhism which guides us to “avoid the taking of sentient life.” Although different Buddhists draw the line differently, this precept can be interpreted to allow reluctant violence in defense of both self and innocent victims when attacked by a human criminal, a tyrant, a deadly animal or the like. Reasonable uses of force and policing are sometimes called for. Even then, we should avoid acting with pleasure, or retaliating in anger, however much we feel compelled to fight back. We should respond with regret at the mere fact of needing to do so. Buddhist and other ethicists must continue the long debate on where to draw the lines of unjustified violence versus acceptable defense of self and others.
(to be continued)
Gassho, J
stlah