Click on the link above for a memorable scene from the 1976 film Network that is an expression of the zeitgeist of the '70s. That sentiment resonates through the culture today. Especially with me right now.
Sadly, we've become conditioned in the current society to tamp down our anger. In corporate, you'll end up in HR with a reprimand and a mandatory "#anger management" seminar for expressing it. In the family, your neighbors may call "child protective services" for shouting at your children to stop playing with matches as they kindle a fire in your garage. Yet even Jesus (among the most peaceful men in recorded history) knew that anger can be used in service of good as he properly channeled his own to drive the money changers from the temple.
As fundraisers, we can channel our own anger at injustice, poverty, poor education, child abuse, disease, or any cause/condition we find unacceptable. Julia Cameron in her book The Artist's Way, describes anger as fuel for change. In her words, "anger is meant to be acted upon, not acted out" (paraphrase). Anger points us in the direction where we want to see change in our lives, or in our society. When we tamp it down, we suppress a creative force that has the potential to change the world...for the better.
So, what are you mad as hell about, and what are you no longer going to tolerate? How will you put that energy to good use?
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