Bad tempers.

[earllogjam]

Being seriously upset about something and showing anger are two different things. You can be upset about something but not spew it out as anger on others.

If a parent physically or verbally abuses a child or a person assaults another out of anger, it's a sure sign that the person lacks maturity, and self restraint. The person is weak in that he is not able to control his emotions and I'd say he lacks any type of refinement or class because he feels anger is a socially acceptable way to express his problems.

 

[killerb]

I used to have a bad temper...luckily after an incident with the police when I nearly lost control & had to be dragged down the street by my friends, I realized it might be a problem...

but I'm really mellow now...:smile:

 

[Calboner]

I rarely get out-of-control angry; I think that that has happened only a few times in my adult life. But I do a lot of "fuming," when someone has said or done something that seems to me slighting or manipulative or dishonest toward me. That can lead to my saying things that get me into a mess. What I find bothersome is that the amount of time that I take to think about what has happened before I react seems to make no difference: the grievance can burn on in me indefinitely. There are things that happened to me years ago that I can still get angry about if I happen to think of them.

Nietzsche somewhere speaks of those who "catch fire slowly and burn for a long time." I guess that's me.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

What I find bothersome is that the amount of time that I take to think about what has happened before I react seems to make no difference: the grievance can burn on in me indefinitely. There are things that happened to me years ago that I can still get angry about if I happen to think of them.

It the same for me, Cal. That's why I brought up the bit about anger flowing from person to person in different forms. Anger might well be there although it just isn't visible at the moment.

I tend not to react angrily at the time of a provocation but that's not to say I don't often smolder in the aftermath. I don't have a quick temper but I do find that I can carry grudges. And so I wonder whether I've really gained anything by stifling my urge to react at the moment. Maybe it really is better just to explode and get it over with.