Decoding Wrath

Ah, the sweet satisfaction of wrath, of anger, of unfiltered hostility, of hate! There is a part of our brains--the amygdale--that is so powerful and so overwhelming in its ferocity that it can shake the other parts of our cerebrum to specks of dust. This primitive anger center exists in animals and it existed in our forebears since the beginning of time. Some argue it is the amygdale to which we owe our survival. Others say it is our self-control which made our species survive, and that the development in modern man of the frontal cortex is what helps us keep anger in check.

But, if you've ever known the sweet satisfaction of rage expressed, then you know how it feels when anger takes hold. At such moments, our brains become like tiny infernos that burn hot and want expression!  But, the fall-out from a total expression of rage is usually too graphic to be explained except to say it is primitive and almost animal in its honesty.

War is supposedly the ultimate expression of anger, or is it?

When the Spartans took their 300 to Thermopole and dished out an incredible fury on the Persians for attempting to invade them, the result was bloody. Leonidas and his brave Spartans gave up their lives for the freedom of their fellow men and women. It is known as the greatest last stand in history.

But was it rage that drove them to fight? According to historic records, the Spartans were the greatest fighters to have ever lived. Yet, it seems that it was their CONTROL of rage which gave them such incredible power on the battlefield.

According to historians, before each battle, the Spartans, in full battle attire, listened to soft string instruments playing melodious tunes to soothe them and keep them calm. Apparently, their strategies and their feats of strength came not from rage but from its opposite--stoic calm and absolute determination. And for them, then, killing their enemies was an unemotional experience and therefore they were almost always undefeated.

In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that on the field of battle, the person who has compassion for the other side will be the winner of the war. It seems that the Gita is saying: When in battle, it is the person or group who can retain their calm and even their humanity who will conquer the day.

I would have to agree. In life, it is the man or woman who exercises the greatest self-control who will win. It is the person who refuses to give in to emotion or hysteria who will conquer the odds.

Namaste!