What's The Point Of Anger?

Let's have a look at anger. Seems rather a pointless emotion, wouldn't you agree? I mean, what possible use is anger? It doesn't seem to support anything. You certainly can't call it a positive emotion. So what's the point of anger? You start to have a mild argument with someone and before you both realize it, you're having a full blown row, probably saying things that afterwards you wish so much you could take back. But here, we're looking at anger in a very negative way. We've lost control of ourselves and we may even end up calling the person with whom we're arguing the most frightful names. But there's a much more positive side to anger. Supposing we take our wife out to dinner one night and while you're waiting for your table, you go to the toilet. When you return, you find she's being verbally attacked by a particularly obnoxious woman, who's demanding the table that we've already booked. Now, if she was being reasonable about it, instead of acting like the Queen of the Nile, there's little doubt that the whole matter would have been resolved. The last straw comes, though, when she actually verbally attacks your wife, calling her one or two choice names into the bargain. You yourself have no hesitation in firing back some pithy Anglo Saxon words. So righteous anger is fine. It must be remembered, too, that all these various emotions in our minds; anger, fear, panic, addictions, (of the right sort), are all there for a reason. Even depression has its uses, believe it or not. When our ancestors became short of food, they'd hide away in a cave to conserve energy. These days, if we experience a drastic change in our lives; perhaps a loved one dies, we lose our jobs through no fault of our own. Perhaps our spouse leaves us. Some people try to 'shrug it off', but it won't work. The loss of a loved one or of a job, will almost certainly change your life and force you to find new and different paths down which to travel. Sometimes, indeed, it can be the growth of you. Suppose you and your father are head of a little firm. For a long time now, your father's been urging you to take on more responsibility, but you've just been too nervous about taking that final step. Well, now your father's dead and you don't have much option. You either close the firm, because without his guidance you're afraid to continue, or you say; 'Right, that's it. I'm taking the plunge.' So often, in a situation like that, the son or daughter really come up trumps. So while there's a reason for all our emotions, there are right and wrong ways of handling them. Anger, correctly used, can be very beneficial if, for no other reason, than as a safety valve. But perhaps let rip in the middle of a field!