TASK #7: It’s An Anger Thing!
No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched. George Jean Nathan
This Trump thing has unleashed a world of anger–you can see it in the grimaced scowls of he and his henchmen, hear it as he rages against
the media, and sense it from his legions of supporters. It’s anger of the nth degree, and it burns in the left as well–the anti-Trump protestors seethe and scream and I’d be willing to bet that Bernie Sanders has pondered what it would feel like it he could shove his L.L. Bean loafer up Trump’s ass.
I feel better when I’m done smashing. My friends still say that I need to see a therapist, but this is more fun, and cheaper.
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But the election is just an excuse to get hot–the truth is: anger is a deep seated male trait. It lies within each of us, and the only difference from man to man is what will trigger it. Sure, some guys have a longer fuse than others, but don’t kid yourself–it’s there, and it’s ugly.
I’m a man of the short-fuse variety. I have a terrible temper. I flip off people on the freeway, bait people at dinner parties, kick the tv when the Buckeyes lose, pound conference room tables, fight in jealous rages, and throw fits at the slightest provocation. I get angry and I hit the dashboard, or put a hole in the drywall.
But I’ve recently come upon a better way to vent my anger. No, not seeing a therapist. I bash things. I have a foot-long wooden dowel I found at the local lumber store. It’s a bit thicker than a broomstick. Now when I’m pissed I whack it on the ground, or I get a couple of dishes or something (see below) and smash the shit out of them.
And guess what? I feel better when I’m done smashing. My friends still say that I need to see a therapist, but this is more fun, and cheaper.
TASK:
Scrape together 20 bucks. Go to your nearest thrift store, Goodwill or Salvation Army Center. Buy an assortment of stuff to whack, i.e. candy dishes, ashtrays, salt and pepper shakers, old toys, a cake plate or soup bowl, a stack of old record albums, beer steins, a wooden folding chair or kid’s dresser or a coffee table. Wooden chairs are tough to break–save that for when your woman cheats on you.
Bring the items to a secluded place–maybe your yard or basement or clearing in the woods. Stand over the pile with your bat or other instrument of destruction, put on safety glasses if available, think about someone/something that’s bothering you–then let fly. Become a
smashing machine.
Take a picture of the mess. Put it in your notebook. Clean up when you’re finished.
Two rules: you can’t hit a person, or an animal; and you can’t smash something that’s owned by someone else. Peace, Joe
Photo by Nick Divers
Awesome Man! Yes, you’re right – the fuse it burns in all of us, and if it really doesn’t -in some – then I congratulate them. There’s a lot of talk recently of embracing all sides of our emotional selves – this is of course one of those sides.
Your friends are correct.
HI Joe, Thanks for sharing that. I appreciate your honesty and your commitment to taking a constructive approach. It’s awesome that you care to find harmless ways to vent anger, rather than doing so in ways that cause discomfort to others. I was wondering if hammering nails into wood would also be helpful. Also how about a more gentile approach such as molding shapes with clay. I was thinking about using simple Play-doh for kids…haha. Maybe good quality clay would be more effective. Hey…it might turn into a fun and meditative activity as well. Have you seen those squishable balls… Read more »