Over dinner last night there was an interesting conversation. It revolved around angry people. In this world there exist people who are angry. For whatever reason: bad relationships, low self-esteem, drugs, these are all part of the never-ending downward spiral. The problem is that these angry people usually take out their anger on those closest to them, be they friends or family.
I tend to think of these things in terms of negative energy. What these angry people are doing is passing this negative energy on to you. Most people have pretty busy/stressful lives, so they do not react well to this attempt at anger transfer. By reacting, they facilitate the world view of the angry person (i.e. poor me, now it’s my fault, etc, etc). The friend/family member now carries this negative energy and transfers it as well, until ultimately somewhere down the line it dissipates (or runs into a postal worker)… 
So fair enough, I think most people realize this. The thing is that in my life, my experiences have enabled me to be kind of a breakwater. I tend to absorb a lot of negative energy and it does not really effect me. I think there are 2 main reasons for this: 1) I burn off this negative energy (i.e. in the gym) 2) I empathise with people, and try to understand their point of view. So where am I going with this you ask? Bear with me…
When I was younger I would try and “help” those people around me who were angry. I would give them “advices”. While well intentioned, this would serve to merely infuriate and distance me from those people. As I have matured I have come to the sad realization that no matter what I do, it is totally beyond my control. All the advice in the world and all the tales, no matter how fabled, will not allow you to see eye to eye with this person. It is only when they have reached the very bottom and had that epiphany, that things will change. You can not have this epiphany for them, you can only hope that they have a soft landing. This, unfortunately is a load they must bear and bear alone. All you can do is try and be there for them. And, sadly, I think I personally may have lost a good friend along the way.
So I guess this is kind of a sad Darwinian tale of survival of the fittest. I see this every day on the walk to work. Homeless people. The dreary masses as the trudge in for “another day, another dollar”. And it makes me thankful for the things that I do have. And here, dear reader, I will end this entry on a high note. The next time an angry person wants to unload on you, let them. Take the time to reflect how difficult their life maybe and emphathise with them. For just 2 minutes think about all the things you do have and the things you are thankful for. I’m sure that if we all tried to interject a little more understanding in our lives, the world would be a better place for it.
