Replacing Anger with Love

How can we become ambassadors of peace in this world? What happens when we change our angle of vision? Can one person alone make a difference?

Once, Mother Teresa was asked by someone, “Do you ever become angered by all the examples of social injustice that you see around you in India and in other parts of the world in which you work?” Mother Teresa beautifully answered, “Why should I expend energy in anger when I can expend it in love?”

This response by Mother Teresa exemplifies a high angle of vision that we can also emulate in our lives. Every day, we find many situations that can provoke anger. We may become angry when we are hurt or offended, or when we see others being hurt or treated unfairly. In each of these cases, we may feel that a wrong has been committed.

Making our choice in how we respond

We may not be able to ignore what is happening, but what is important is how we respond to the situation. We always have a choice in how we respond. We can either react out of anger, or we can overcome and replace the anger with love. Mother Teresa chose to overcome anger with love.

Counteracting the anger in this world

There is plenty of anger and violence in the world. In every town and village, in every home, one finds explosions of anger. To respond to this anger with more anger only fuels the flames. We do not put out fire by fanning the flames. We have to smother the fire. Similarly, we do not put out fires of anger by adding more fire to them. We smother the fire of anger with love.

Rather than add one more angry voice to a dispute, we should aspire to add the balm of sweetness to cool down the tempers of others. Rather than add to the vibrations of the atmosphere with an angry thought, we should send loving thoughts to cleanse the atmosphere.

It takes a lot of energy to respond in anger. The response tends to deplete us and drain us. But if we use our energy to respond lovingly, we will not only bring harmony to the situation, but we will be energized by that love. When we act lovingly, we open the door for God’s love to flow through us. We are energized and boosted by this divine love.

Watch the effect of your response

The next time you find yourself in a situation in which an injustice is taking place, try responding with love instead of anger. You can note the effect that your positive response has both on the situation and on your own well-being.

Let us bring harmony and peace to the world. Let us overcome violence with love. We will find that doing so will have a ripple effect and it will not be long before our environment, our community, and our society will become a haven of peace in this world.