Anger

In the movie Antwone Fisher, Denzel Washington plays a psychologist who helps an angry young man deal with his past.

The key theme throughout the movie can be summed up wonderfully by something that Denzel Washington says.

"Forgiveness is freeing yourself."

When you have anger or resentment towards someone, who really suffers?

There are many cases in which if you were to confront the person who made you angry, they would not be able to recall the incident that is the root of this resentment.

Buddha once taught us that we are not punished for our anger, but we are punished by our anger.

The major Western religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all teach us that on the Day of Judgment, all of our actions will be judged and we will then gain the benefit or suffer the punishment of them.

Buddha, however, states that as well as this external future judgment, we must also realise that we are being rewarded and punished now, as we have those thoughts and experiences.

Think back to a time when you were angry. Who really suffered?

Buddha once described being angry as holding a burning coal. When you are holding it, you are suffering from its burns.

Furthermore, Buddha adds that when you are holding this burning coal, you want to throw it, possibly at someone else, as soon as possible because it is burning you strongly.

As can be concluded neither situation does any good to anyone. When you are angry, you are suffering and anyone around you is concerned that you will throw your anger towards them.

As with most things in life, truly understanding the nature of something is the key to mastering it.