Controlling Anger
Managing anger before it causes harm to self and others.
Uncontrolled anger harms the angry person as much as its target. Anger heats the blood, unbalances the humors, and clouds judgment. While anger may be appropriate, it must be controlled and directed. Reaction should be measured, not impulsive.
The fire that burns within must be tended, not allowed to rage.
Anger management reflects Mayan emphasis on emotional and energetic balance.
Living Tradition
Written about in
- What Maya wisdom says about balance
Anger is compared to a fire that needs tending rather than one to be put out. It may be warranted, and it still has to be directed.
- What the Maya tradition says about envy and comparison
Envy's close relative gets the same diagnosis: uncontrolled anger harms the angry person as much as its target, heating the blood and clouding judgement. The prescription is measured response, not denial that the feeling exists.