Does Anger Have a Purpose?

The Dalai Lama teaches that anger is a weakness, and counsels never to act or make a decision when in an angry state.

While passionate feelings may inspire great deeds, no good comes from anger.

I am generally an agreeable person.

Though we all get angry at times.

When angry, my natural response is to try and rationalise the situation.

But my reasoning is flawed by the negative emotion, and I always, and I mean always, either make things worse or hurt others or myself.

So now, when I feel angry, I try to focus all of my energy on nothing but returning to a state of calm.

The Dalai Lama says that compassion and patience are the most powerful antidotes to anger.

And the two attributes go hand in hand, one making space for the other.

So perhaps the only purpose anger has is to show us we need to work on our compassion and patience, for ourselves and others.

Today I came across a quote by Bruce Lee which I have found to be most powerful in the pursuit of patience.

'Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.'

Bruce Lee

Patience in my opinion is grossly underrated, but if we reframe it to be a strength, and in fact concentrated strength, how much more attractive does it become?

It becomes almost a super human power.

Perhaps you feel you are patient enough.

But can you be patient with yourself?

This morning I used the concentrated strength of patience to address a burst of anger.

And my goodness did it work.

Mindfulness has taught me the immense benefit of being able to focus exclusively on one thing, and by filling my mind with patience for myself, others, and the situation, my anger was eased, almost immediately.

As with many teachings, knowing them and doing them are two different things, and practice takes time....

the tool we seldom allow ourselves enough of when trying to learn.

Today my efforts worked.

It doesn't mean I have mastered a skill.

But it is one valuable step.

I was given this to share.

'What if the pursuit of patience became your main focus in life? How would that change who you are and what you do?'

Focus on the light, always.

This article was originally published in my newsletter on 1st May 2026.