HJAR Nov/Dec 2022

I read somewhere a few years ago that people who are prone to anger are simply less intelligent. I love this idea. Now, before you get indignant about all the reasons anger is an appropri- ate response, including expressions of mental illness, diseases that affect the brain, someone doing something awful to you, someone or something you love, or anything else, just, if you will, take a step back, detach, and simply imagine for amoment that this concept is actu- ally true. What if anger is simply frustration manifested into a destructive force when one cannot find a reasonable solution to a bother or learn to let the bother go? Lack of intelligence makes more sense tome than anything else to explain why in the world we would put such ugliness out into the universe. It also gives me empathy for those suffer- ing and inflicting such anguish. Anger, it seems, is a contagious plague on society. I see it as a weapon for those who want to control minds and for minds that are not under con- trol. It inflicts injury to a once open heart, creates scar tissue from the wound that does not heal, and creates barriers of mistrust. It isn’t pretty and feels unnecessary. Watch who tells you to be angry; they are spreading a dan- gerous emotion that is difficult to purge EDITOR’S DESK 8 NOV / DEC 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Dianne Marie Normand Hartley Chief Editor editor@healthcarejournalar.com once engaged. Anger is like a virus that seeks attachment receptors, penetrates its host, andmutates to stay alive often destroying the very source that is pro- viding life to it. Understanding anger as a lack of intelligence give us a chance to step back and see if there is a more elegant solution to the problem we or others face. It breathes space into the situation and allows for more free thought. Real- izing this stops the transfer of awful viral genomes by using the brain bar- rier. It also allows us to realize that the person who may be trying to spread this powerful force might be passion- ate but isn’t acting from a source of wisdom and can be pitied, actually, not feared. Logically refusing to let the anger receptors adhere, finding new, perhaps more diplomatic, solutions is the best bet to eradicate this cruel virus. I do not understand anger, I don’t want to, and I have never been proud of the times I have acted out of it nomat- ter how justified I felt at that moment. As we evolve as a species, I hope we can eliminate this ugly plague. It seems logical. Might I humbly suggest it begin with us today. Is Anger a Lack of Intelligence?