Anger at the inhumanity of racism manifested in the apartheid regime in South Africa was what propelled the activism of the first black President of South Africa, the late Madiba, Nelson Mandela who had no qualms staying in incarceration, albeit unjustly, for 26 years. Enraged by the injustice of the system that saw the black man as inferior to his white counterpart, the young Mandela turned his back on a thriving law career to take up the cause of seeing the principles of equity entrenched in the socio-political dynamics of his nation. For his beliefs, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the white supremacist regime. As international pressure began to mount on the harsh regime to dismantle apartheid, overtures were made to Nelson Mandela who had now become the poster boy of the revolution that he would be released if he would renounce his beliefs and renege on his advocacy for justice and equality but he flatly rejected a compromised offer of release, choosing instead the possibility of dying in incarceration. He eventually came out triumphant as a hero when the apartheid system was dismantled and went from prison to become the first black President of his nation.
Martin Luther was a German professor of theology and a leading light of the Protestant Reformation movement.
An ordained priest and monk of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther began to question several practices and doctrines of the church. He was opposed to the doctrine of indulgences that postulated that freedom from sin and consequent punishment from God could be bought with money. This position was contrary to what he had read in scriptures that the just shall live by faith. Inspired by what he read from scriptures, he became angry with the establishment pattern of religion and rejected outright several teachings of the church. This led him to propose an academic discussion that reexamined the issue of indulgences. In 1517, he distilled his thoughts into what is now known as the Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the church.
Luther began to teach that salvation and eternal life are not earned by good works but can only be received as a free gift of grace when a believer expresses faith in Jesus Christ. This new theology practically challenged and in fact, shattered the myth of papal infallibility and established the Bible as the ultimate source of the knowledge of God. He went ahead to declare in tandem with scriptures that all believers are a holy priesthood. Thus was born the Lutheran movement that radically transformed the face of Christianity.
The history of modern India cannot be told without ample mention of the man usually referred to as the father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. Barrister of the English Inner temple, he was outraged by the violation of civil rights by the British colonial masters in India. He began to mobilize and organize peasants and artisans and other common folk to protest in a non-violent manner against excessive taxation and other oppressive practices of the British administration. He led the non-violent demonstrations that eventually compelled the Britain to grant independence to India.
The United States of America will never forget the role played by Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement. Angered by the racial injustice prevalent in the USA in his time, King Jr. decided that it had to stop. An ordained Baptist preacher, he used his pulpit as a platform of advocacy against racial discrimination. His One-Million-Man march and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech shook the nation to its roots and forced the American government to institute reforms guaranteeing civil rights in the country.
What do you see around you that makes you feel uncomfortable? Are you appalled at injustice? What problems of society attract your attention in a peculiar way that is different from the way others react to the same issue? When you enter a room or find yourself within a group dynamics, what are you likely to notice that others don’t? The arrangement of the room? The structure of administration? What needs do you see in others that you feel need to be met?
More often than not, people miss that special moment in destiny to recognize the opportunity for transformation and simply complain and shrug off the feeling. What they often fail to realize is that the foundation for true greatness is advocacy. And all genuine and sustainable advocacy begins with a dissatisfaction with status quo that provokes redemptive anger.
Whatever makes you angry is an indication of a problem in life that you were raised to solve. Your anger is an indication of your life ASSIGNMENT. It gives an insight into your character.
The status quo that makes you uncomfortable is the unchallenged reality of others but which is unacceptable to you because you have superior knowledge about what the ideal should be!
It is okay to be angry but never at people, unless such people are directly responsible for the status quo that needs to change.
No leader can be effective without sufficient anger about something he will commit to changing through the instrumentality of love-driven advocacy. Comfort breeds complacency for the simple reason that more often than not, it dulls our capacity for righteous indignation.
Why do you notice things that others do not see? That is your opportunity for ministry and potential impact, not criticism! That is the basis of your leadership.
We miss the power of anger when we turn it inwards to serve our ego rather than to improve others and become the change we so desperately desire to see.
True anger should challenge us with a greater vision and a higher reach.
Whenever anyone says anything negative to you – stupid, dumb, useless, don’t turn the anger inwards and hate yourself and others in the process. Hurt people will only hurt people. Instead, use the mud thrown at you as the building blocks for your upgrade! It’s your yeast to rise!
If you are angry about your loveless marriage, learn what true love is, begin to demonstrate it towards your spouse instead of seeking the cheap way out! He abuses you, buy him a present. She nags. Respond with a smile. Love him, not because you want him to love you back but because God loves Him and wants to express it through you! Your boss can’t stand you? Let him know how much you value his presence. Go contrary to the wind!
Do you know anyone who is never angry? People like that are too dangerous to be around! It signals mediocrity and complacency. A man who is angry about nothing will accept whatever life throws his way without asking questions!
Nobody stands a chance of ever becoming a change agent that way!
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!
and then