Anger, an Emotion to Tame

About… Emotions

What do our emotions tell us? Florent Pennuen, Executive Search Consultant and Coach at Grant Alexander, invites us on a journey with them to better decode, tame, and benefit from them. Today, we dock in stormy waters… with anger.

“Anger is like an avalanche that breaks upon what it destroys.” – Seneca

I want to reflect on this photo taken at the Théâtre du Rond-Point on a Saturday afternoon in April. It juxtaposes Éric Cantona (footballer, actor) and François Cheng (academician, poet, writer, storyteller), both confronting inner struggles.

Despite their differences, these two men have each faced their own “grapes of anger.” Over time, they have each made something of it.

Anger cannot be tamed by intentions alone; it can be transformed through self-listening, patience, and time.

Anger teaches us much about ourselves, provided we know how to hear it when it arises. This path, if chosen, is a profound journey—a world tour of oneself.

The experiences of these two men, in their uniqueness, serve as a symbol. Regardless of life path, everyone harbors a soil in which anger has every reason to emerge. The difference lies not in the soil itself but in how we confront the sources of our anger—and what we make of it. François Cheng’s life journey, marked by obstacles, and the introspection and peace he derived from it, illustrates the decoupling between the weight of hardships encountered and the level of anger generated—or conversely, the ability to tame that anger.

The journey of Messrs. Cantona and Cheng through anger and serenity opens a window onto hope: the necessity for each of us, individually and collectively, to transcend anger, unproductive as long as it is endured.

What does our anger reveal about our self-confidence, self-esteem, or, more precisely, our assertiveness—or the lack thereof?

It invites us to explore the path of confidence and calm, to find strength. Calmness is a path that does not eliminate the sources of anger but gives it a new purpose—transformed into a means to progress, to grow, rather than to harm, destroy, or ultimately harm oneself.

Also read: Joy, the Land of Happiness

Florent Pennuen – April 2019
florent.pennuen@grantalexander.com