I have mentioned this as an aside in other posts.
Fear can take the form of anger.
Or, rather, one response to fear is anger. And for some, anger can be a habitual response to fear.
Conversely, we can say that behind anger, is – most likely – fear.
It’s good to keep this in mind when we do any kind of exploration of anger or fear. If there is anger, is there fear behind or within it? If there is fear, does it sometimes take the form of anger?
Also, anger can take different forms besides what we, in our society, usually think of as anger. It can take the form of frustration. Blame. Harsh judgments (of self and others). Reactivity. Defense. And much more. And all of it may trace back to fear.
And fear can take a great number of forms besides anger and obvious fear. To me, it seems that a reaction to fear is behind most stressful experiences and dynamics, including going into beliefs and identifications. Our reaction to fear tends to create a wide range of different stressful experiences.
As always, these are questions. Starting points for exploration. Whatever we find is what we find, whether it fits our expectations or what’s suggested in pointers or not.
Note: I should mention that when we find the fear behind anger, identifications, etc. it often feels quite vulnerable, and as a confession. A hidden secret that we finally admit to. The anger, identifications, or whatever it may be often serve as a protection against facing this fear. So it can be helpful to explore and befriend the fear of meeting the fear.
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Initial notes…..
- fear as anger
- mentioned in other posts
- fear can take the form of anger, or – rather – one response to fear is anger
- for some, can be a habitual
…….
And fear can take a great number of forms besides anger and obvious fear. To me, it seems that a reaction to fear is behind most stressful experiences and dynamics, including going into beliefs and identifications. Our reaction to fear tends to create a wide range of different stressful experiences.
When I did the Living Inquiry training, the trainers would discourage me from regularly exploring fear behind identifications, anger, sadness, or whatever else may be the focus. And when I suggested that our reaction to fear sometimes is behind it, one said very bluntly “no”. I am open to that being accurate, but my experience so far says otherwise.
As always, these are questions. Starting points for exploration. Whatever we find is what we find, whether it fits our expectations or what’s suggested in pointers or not.