Anger can lead us to act ridiculously, like kicking a vending machine or shouting at inanimate objects. The discussion draws on ancient philosophy to highlight the absurdity of seeking revenge. It’s amusing yet insightful, showcasing how anger blinds us to its foolishness. Instead of channeling anger into destructive behavior, we’re encouraged to address the root problems. The podcast cleverly illustrates how we often end up punishing ourselves while trying to get even with the world around us.
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insights INSIGHT
The Absurdity of Anger
Seneca points out the absurdity of seeking revenge, likening it to biting a dog that bit you.
Anger often leads to damaging our own property, which is essentially self-punishment.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Misdirected Anger
People often lash out at inanimate objects like remotes, keyboards, or even children's toys when angry.
This behavior highlights the irrationality of anger and its tendency to make us act foolishly.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Avoid Anger
Recognize that anger is blinding, difficult to control, and ultimately unproductive.
Avoid anger as much as possible to prevent irrational actions and self-sabotage.
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Seneca wrote eloquently about how absurd the need to “get even” is. No one would think to return a bite to a dog or a kick to a mule, he writes, but when someone hurts us or pisses us off, that’s exactly what we do. We smile and laugh at this clever analogy. He’s right, we think, no one would bite a dog.
Except anger actually does do stuff that dumb to us all the time—or worse! Who hasn’t thrown a television remote that wasn’t working or smacked a vending machine that took your money? Who hasn’t banged on their keyboard when it froze or kicked a child’s toy across the room after painfully stepping on it in the middle of the night? Who hasn’t shouted obscenities at their headphones when your hand gets caught in the cord and you accidentally rip them off your head while walking through an airport or getting into a car? Who hasn’t had to resist the urge to throw their smartphone in the ocean or their golf club into a lake when these objects refuse to do what you have directed them to?
If there weren’t plenty of reasons to be suspicious of anger already, the fact that it compels you to try to physically punish inanimate objects is a pretty good one. The fact that, in anger, we often break or damage our own property—essentially punishing ourselves to send a message to something that by definition cannot receive it—tells us everything we need to know about anger.
Mainly, that it’s blinding, that it’s hard to control, and that it’s shamefully stupid.
The Daily Stoic