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Be angry only with the serpent through whom you fell (1). He who fears litigation will also avoid anger, because litigation often inflames the heart with anger (2). Anger is an unsafe advisor for anyone: what is done in anger is never prudent (2). Yesterday is lost for me, Christ! Anger found and instantly took possession of me. Oh, that today would become a day of Light for me (2)! I am angry with the domestic demon, with anger... I have already put a word in the way of an oath and I completely know that of the many roots from which this evil vegetates - an oath, the wildest and blackest is anger, then with the help of God I will try to destroy it too, cutting it off as much as possible with the edge of the word... For me this is also important, that is, a small weakening of the great evil, just as it is important for anyone burdened serious illness. Let's delve into this illness a little deeper: what is it? what causes it? and how to protect yourself from it? Let's look into the reasoning of ancient men who delved into the nature of things. Some call the frenzy a boiling of the blood near the heart. It is those who attribute this disease to the body, just as others and most passions are derived from the body. And others called anger a desire for revenge, attributing this vice to the soul, and not to the body; and this desire, if it rushes outward, is anger, and if it remains inside and builds evil, it is rancor. Those who recognized this disease as something complex and therefore composed the very concept of it, said that it is a boiling of the blood, but has a cause in desire. Now is not the place to enter into a discussion as to whether this is fair; however, it is well known that the mind is the master of everything. The Lord gave him to us as a champion against passions. Just as a house provides shelter from hail, just as those fleeing battle find refuge in the walls, and bushes serve as a support on steep slopes and over precipices, so reason saves us in times of irritation. As soon as the smoke of what kindles your thoughts appears, then before the fire ignites and the flame swells, as soon as you feel the movement of the spirit within you, immediately resort to God and, thinking that He is your patron and witness of your movements, restrain the swiftness of the illness with shame and fear, while the illness still listens to admonitions. Call immediately in the words of the disciples: “Master, terrible excitement surrounds me; shake off the sleep” (see Luke 8:24)! And you will ward off irritability while you still have control of your reason and thoughts (for this disease will first of all suppress them in you); until she, like a horse that cannot bear the bridle, chewed the bit and rushed off quickly, leaving the road, hills and ravines behind her, darkening her guiding eyes with anger. It is easier for reason to control someone who has not stepped out of submission than to restrain by force someone who has seized power over him. Such a one, inflaming himself, will not stop until he brings down the rider from the heights of reason (2). Consider the shame that anger brings to those who are cruelly struck by it. Diseases are a different kind of mystery; are: love, envy, sorrow, evil hatred. Some of these ailments are either not detected at all, or little is detected, and the disease remains hidden inside. Sometimes she herself would rather languish in the depths of her heart than become noticeable to outsiders. And even then it’s a benefit if the trouble is hidden in secret. But anger is an obvious and completely naked evil, it is a sign that shows itself against the will of the body. If you have seen those caught up in this passion, then you fully know what I am saying and what my word wants to portray. A mirror should be placed in front of the angry, so that, looking into it and humbled in thought before the silent accuser of their passion, they would somehow reduce their insolence. Or let your offender himself be this mirror for you. In it, if you are willing to look, you will see yourself; for those suffering from the same disease have the same attacks. The eyes are bloodshot and squinted, the hair is bristling, the beard is wet, the cheeks of one are pale, like those of a dead person, another is purple, and another is like lead (and this, I think, is because this is how this frantic and evil painter wants to paint a person), the neck is tense, the veins are tense, speech is intermittent and at the same time rapid, breathing like that of a madman, gnashing of teeth disgusting, the nose is widened and expresses complete contempt, throwing up of hands, stamping of feet, bowing of the head, rapid turns of the body, laughter, sweat, fatigue (who tires? No one except the demon), nodding up and down is not accompanied by a word, cheekbones are swollen and make some kind of sound, like a threshing floor, the hand, beating its fingers, threatens. And this is just the beginning of the anxiety. What word will depict what happens after that? Insults, shocks, indecencies, false oaths, generous outpourings of a bubbling tongue like the sea when it covers the cliffs with foam. He calls one thing bad, desires another, is burdened with another, and immediately forgets all this. He is indignant at those present if they are calm, and demands that everyone with him be in commotion. He asks for thunder, throws lightning, is dissatisfied with the sky itself because it is motionless. He already carries out one evil deed, saturates his thoughts with others, because he imagines that everything he wants has been done. Mentally kills, persecutes, burns, but what will come of it? So blind and vain is his ardor! He has a voiceless, powerless, ox-driver, who was recently our vitiator, Milon 43, king. You yourself are rootless and poor, but you call the one who is grateful and rich, familyless and poor. You yourself are a reproach to humanity, and you attribute a slavish appearance to those who are the color of beauty. You cannot say about yourself who you are and where you are from, but you call a famous person inglorious. I don’t know whether to cry or laugh at what’s happening. Anger turns everything, even the unprecedented, into a weapon. This is a monkey, and is done by Typhius 44, twirling his hand, breaking his fingers, looking for a hill or the top of Etna, so that with the force of his hand from afar he can throw both an arrow and a coffin at the enemy. What fire or what hail will stop insolence? If the slings of words are exhausted, then the hands are put into action, hand-to-hand combat, fights, and violence begin. The one who prevails over the enemy is the one who is most unhappy and defeated, because to gain the upper hand in bad times I call defeat. Isn't this a demon? Even more than a demon, if we exclude one fall, but it also happened to see the fall of those outraged by anger when they were carried away by an impulse of the spirit. Is this not a clear alienation from God? And what else? Because God is meek and forgiving; It’s not good to desecrate the image of God and put an unknown idol in its place! Mental disorders are not so terrible for us, physical illnesses are not so terrible. These illnesses, although they are cruel and torment me, continue for the time being, because every real illness seems more painful to the sufferer than all other illnesses, but they make us unhappy not by our own will; they are more worthy of pity than of damnation. Of the evils, obvious evil is less dangerous, but more harmful is that which is not recognized as evil... Tell me, what other evil is worse than anger that has exceeded the limit? And is there any cure for this? In other diseases, an excellent cure is the thought of God. And anger, as soon as it once exceeded the limit, first of all blocks the door to God. The very remembrance of God increases evil, because an angry person is ready to insult God. I sometimes saw: stones, and dust, and a reproachful word (what a terrible frenzy!) were thrown at Him Whom is nowhere, no one can catch; laws were put aside; friend is not recognized; and the enemy, and the father, and the wife, and relatives - everything is equalized by one desire of one stream. And if someone stands opposite, he will attract anger upon himself, like an animal lured out by noise. And the defender of others himself already needs defenders. With such reasoning, overcome your anger most of all; and if you are prudent, then no more will be required for you. And if a very long song is needed to soften your heart, then look at the lives of those who, both in ancient and in recent times, acquired boldness before God with their good morals (2). The Stagiri philosopher 45 wanted to hit one person whom he caught in a shameful and bad deed, but as soon as he felt that anger had entered into him, fighting with passion as with an enemy, he stopped and, after being silent for a short time, said (a truly wise word!): “Your extraordinary happiness is that my anger protects you. And if it weren’t for him, you would have left me beaten. Now it would be a shame for me, the bad one, to hit the bad guy and, when I myself am overcome by passion, to get the better of a slave.” So he reasoned (2). You have so many medical remedies for this illness (anger), but the most important of all, as they say, is the commandment that does not allow you to respond with offense even to the one who hit you. For the Old Testament commanded: “Thou shalt not kill,” but you were commanded not even to be angry, and not only not to hit or dare to kill. He who prohibits the former does not permit the latter. Whoever destroyed the seed prevented it from vegetating 46 in the ear. And not to look with a bad wish means to cut off fornication. Not swearing is a safeguard against a false oath. Not being angry means putting yourself in safety from attempted murder. For think this way: anger leads to a word, a word leads to a blow, from a blow there are wounds, and after wounds, as we know, comes murder; and thus anger becomes the mother of cruel murder. Who has ever received a reward for not killing? But not being angry is one of the praiseworthy deeds. The reward for the former is that you avoid danger, and the reward for the latter is that you are promised a piece of precious land (2). What you wish most of all is not to be angry at all, because that is the safest thing to do. And if not so, try to stop your frenzy before evening and do not let the sun set in your anger (see Eph. 4:26), both the one that sends its rays to your eyes from the outside, and the one that shines inside the wise; and the last sun sets for those whose minds are wounded, but it illuminates the perfect and good and gives great power to illuminate those who see (2). You say: “Well? Didn’t nature itself give us anger?” “But it also gave me the power to control anger.” Who gave us the word, sight, arms and legs that can walk? All this was given by God and nature, but they were given for good, and I will not praise you for using them for evil. The same must be said about other mental movements. These are God's gifts - under the guidance and control of the mind. Irritability, when not exceeding its limits, serves as a weapon for competition. Without a strong desire, God is inconceivable. But I also know a mentor in goodness; this is reason. If all this is turned for the worse, then irritability will produce insults and atrocities, desire will inflame us to vile voluptuousness, and reason not only will not suppress this, but will also help with its tricks. Thus, good gifts are given into the power of our molester! But it is not good to mix God’s gift with evil (2). If you have read anything about the anger of pious men, you will find that their anger was always just. And I even think that it was not anger, but punishment, rightly inflicted on the wicked. And this punishment was not evil for them; on the contrary, the blows were very useful for those who required a lot of cleansing in life, because the needle branch itself calls upon itself the edge of iron - they were useful, I say, both before the law and under the law, until it acquired the proper strength, as it was not yet completely rooted in people (2). Which creature is predominantly meek? - God. Who has the most irritable nature? - The murderer, who (let it be known to you!), in addition to other names expressing his cunning, is also called anger. Which part do you intend to choose? But it is impossible to choose one or the other. Judge also who will be ridiculed and who will be praised. For this is also important for a sensible person. What else can I say? I conjure you, anger is the friend of vices, my hostile protector and patron, who puffs me up and betrays me into the gates of hell, submit now to God and the word. Submit, anger - this effervescence, this completeness of the murderer, this obvious ugliness of the face, this overwhelming thoughts, this rapture, these fighters forcing one to fall into Tartarus, this legion of demons, this multi-syllabic evil that dissolves the bonds and fetters on the feet, submit; for Christ, Whom the universe cannot contain and Who infallibly moves the whole universe with His helm, devoting life to both people and Angels, and diligently grants permission to those who call on Him from both evil spirits and passions, Christ wants you to immediately flee from here and, entering the pigs, hide in the abyss! This herd, descending into the depths, is ready to receive you. But do not touch us, about whom God Himself has care (2)! Control your anger so that you do not act out of your mind (2). Milo Titus Annius was a political figure in Ancient Rome. – Approx. ed. Typhius is a demon of nightmares and fever in ancient Greek mythology. – Approx. ed. This means Aristotle. – Approx. ed. Vegetate - sprout. – Approx. ed. You might be interested in: