Road Rage
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and the schemer is hated. ”
Nico Ryan, in his article “How Emotional Trauma Drives Nearly Everything We Do,” describes being chased in a road-rage incident. “In a rage-filled tirade, the driver in the car next to me screams in my direction as he tries to force me off the road and into a nearby gas station.” Nico survived the incident and began putting it into perspective.
Nico realized, “Every one of us is in pain; every one of us wants to be loved. We act the way we act because we want the hurting to stop.” The scary driver’s actions were not about a particular driving incident, but about his level of internal pain. When we act out our rage, we are letting our pain seep out in uncontrolled ways.
Since we all experience pain, the issue becomes how we choose to respond to the pain that makes all the difference. Faithfully acknowledging the pain within us is the way through it and takes us to a place where we no longer need to lash out at others to relieve our own pain. Recognizing and facing our pain takes courage, but it is the only way to a happy, healthy life.
Today, take a few moments to reflect on your level of agitation. Is road rage a typical response? How patient are you with the irritations of others? How often do you put yourself down? Questions like this help provide a baseline for the pain in our lives. Then, begin to address the pain, which will help reduce its impact on you and those around you. We do not need to live with the rage any longer.
