Outrage!!

Outrage......we see it all the time in the headlines.  (Fill in the Blank) sparks outrage!  It could be anything really.  An athlete kneeling during the National Anthem, a statement by the NRA, anything spoken by a politician, a prejudicial statement by a celebrity, an act of aggression by the police...or toward the police....it was something yesterday, something different today, and there will be yet another thing tomorrow.  

As a society, we love our outrage.  For some reason we are obsessed with the fiery emotions that well up within us, and thanks to social media, we now have an outlet to scream those emotions to the world like we’ve never had before.  

But does expressing our personal outrage to the cyberverse do much to actually help society grow and improve?  Or does it simply make me feel a little better while transferring those hostile emotions to someone of an opposing view?  Does it bridge gaps or drive further wedges into the already broadening chasms that divide us as a society?  

While there are some things that should always warrant a social backlash, to draw personal anger at another person’s opinion is not a position of liberation. It's a position of slavery...leaving the keys to my happiness continually in the hands of another, dictated by their personal position on subjects for which I feel passionate.  And these feelings of angst are often ones that we must seek out by actively entering into a social media forum through our phone or computer, rather than something blindly thrust upon us.  

As I write this, I’m in my backyard, watching the sun rise after a night of soft rains.  The device with the power to pull me from this tranquil status sits a foot away on the table.  A place it will remain for now, as there are no political or controversial statements scrolling across the sky, the birds have not broken from their usual morning chatter to debate stances on issues.  Perhaps one if the easiest ways to defeat outrage is to spend less time with the things that cause it. With that, I have a sunrise to finish watching.......