Energy Options

My friend Phil tells me that certain things are simply too controversial to discuss: computer operating systems, Ford versus Chevy, music styles—not just sex, religion, and politics. But one subject concerns me right now that he didn’t mention: anger. Each time I listen to an argument or even a heated discussion about some subject such as what constitutes a marriage, why we need to drill for oil, or how should we allocate foreign aid, I can’t stop wondering why everyone keeps getting angry.

Yes, I have opinions. But anger takes energy—even excessive energy. Too bad we can’t harness the energy in all the world’s anger and use it for something constructive like generating electricity. That would probably give an unfair advantage to the Middle East. Well, come to think of it, I have noticed that some of those sports types have an excessive amount of anger demonstrated out there when they charge at each other over some kind of ball. Put a cap on some of those football games and just capture that energy—voilá—light up the stadium for free.

Just recently I have seen some people I felt really needed a few sessions in anger management. Getting angry can’t be good for a person. And that anger is going to rub off on others as well. One fellow said it really made him angry that the water had been turned off because of the water leak in the main line. Now that is some REALLY productive emotion! Whooptee big do! So others should just walk around him on tiptoes because he was angered by a water leak and the inconvenience of having the water turned off?

And then there was the man who could not accept the fact that someone could get sick or have a sick child and was unable to perform for him—another totally unnecessary inconvenience to that man. No doubt the person or the person’s child became ill just to irritate the man!

Oh dearie me! Here I am using exclamation points when I eschew anger and its exhibition. Oh well. So just hand me a light bulb and I will see if I can light it up with all this excessive energy.