Happy or Sad
The author of a web journal I enjoy recently mentioned that she loved jazz standards, that they make her happy. I was pleased to hear that since I also love the old standards. It was a little strange to sense that she viewed them as coming from a distant past but I was still glad to find another lover of the songs. Then she noted that "People used to be happy or sad... or something sentimental. Nowadays, we're all [angry] at something or another." She's right. Things have changed and the songs she loves reflect a different time. At first I thought she was simply observing something I've talked about before, the growing anger and hostility in our society. Now I think she's seen something deeper: The growing level of anger and hostility seems to eliminate the other emotions.
It seems obvious that people who are constantly angry miss out on happiness but I hadn't focused on the other emotions. People who are constantly angry also miss out on sadness and other emotions. It's because anger is so draining, so consuming, it leaves nothing for the other emotions. It doesn't leave the time or the energy to feel anything else.
I don't have much of an answer for this problem except to say that all of us can eliminate anger from our lives. I've done it so I know it can be done. If we can accept that anger is wasteful and destructive, that it hurts us as well as others, that it serves no good purpose, that's the beginning of eliminating it. If we can will ourselves to keep our "cool", to remain calm in the face of all provocation, to stop ourselves when we feel the first signs of anger, we will defeat anger.
If we defeat anger in ourselves and others, think about how much better off we all would be. No more road rage, no more mindless violence, no more damage to our health from the ill effects of anger. We can only start with ourselves but it's a good start. If we can avoid anger for ourselves we will at least reduce the provocations to anger for others and we will set a good example.
Maybe if we can succeed, we can all enjoy the jazz standards again and feel happy or sad or sentimental or something else that the songs excite.
3-8-04
Home Page 2004 Archives 2003 Archives 2002 Archives 2001 Archives 2000 Archives 1999 Archives