"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;

you are the one who gets burned."

—Buddha



Many years ago writer and theologian Emmett Fox wrote a delightful antecdote regarding the way we hold on to any negative emotion.

"It appears that a party of hunters," Fox wrote, "being called away from their camp, left the campfire unattended,

with a kettle of water boiling on it.

Presently an old bear crept out of the woods, and, seeing the kettle with its lid dancing about on top, promptly seized it.

The boiling water scalded him badly, but instead of dropping the kettle instantly, he proceeded to hug it tightly — this being a bear's idea of defense. Of course, the tighter he hugged it the more it burned him; and the more it burned him the tighter he hugged it; and so on, in a vicious circle, to the undoing of the bear."

We do basically the same thing when we hold on to anger, feeling that if we let it go we will somehow be aiding the one who angered us.

No one is ever harmed by anger, but he who is angry.

Emmett Fox advised that, when we feel anger or any grievance rising, we should sternly repeat to ourselves, "Bear hugs kettle" and think about God instead.

And when we throw in a quick blessing, surrounding both ourselves and the target of our anger in love and light, it is truly amazing how quickly every grievance heals.



May you always be willing to drop your anger as if it were a hot coal.