Lonely Boat
Photo by Engin Akyurt: at Pexels
अक्रोध
Absence of Anger
If wronged, you should not wrong in return. One’s anger, if not subdued, burns one’s own self; if subdued, it procures the virtues of the doers of good acts. You should never give pain to others by cruel words. Never defeat your enemies by despicable means. Never utter sinful and burning words as may give pain to others.
—The Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter LXXXVII, verses 7–8
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
— Matthew 5:43:44
Anger, it’s a paralyzing emotion, you can’t get anything done. People sort of think it’s an interesting, passionate, and igniting feeling. I don’t think it’s any of that – it’s helpless, it’s absence of control, and I need all of my skills, all of the control, all of my powers, and anger doesn’t provide any of that, I have no use for it whatsoever.
— Toni Morrison
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32




What would a visitor to our planet see? Would they see a world filled with humans at peace with each other? At peace with their environment? The animals they share the planet with? Or with they see a world filled with humans in an unalterable state of anger, hurling hate, insults, ill-will and malice at each other and everything around them?