Don’t Waste That Anger
[SARN Memo for February 17, 2010]
Do you ever get mad? Mad about all the cuts in services? Mad about the way you’re treated at work? That’s a good start.
Don’t waste your anger. Use it to make change. Ed Roberts, founder of the independent living movement, said: “We don’t need to… ‘get over’ our anger. We need to channel it into making change for the greater good.”
Respond to this memo!1. More from Ed Roberts
Ed Roberts (1939-1995), founder of the independent living movement, was a big fan of anger, when used in the right way.
I want to talk about anger. Most psychiatrists and service professionals who work with us tell us that anger is a bad thing… a stage to get over or something that we need to overcome. But anger is a powerful energy. We don’t need to suppress or “get over” our anger, we need to channel it into making change for the greater good. We need to… focus it on removing obstacles, and making things happen.
Excerpted from Highlights from Speeches by Ed Roberts
(Jon Oda, 1995)
2. Exercise: Glad/Mad/Sad
It’s important to talk about our feelings. They can be the starting point of successfully working together.
Use the grid below as a way to invite folks in your group to talk about feelings they get in various settings of their lives. Make an enlarged copy for each person. Then have folks work together in small groups to talk about each square of the grid. “What is one thing that makes you happy or glad at work?” And so on. Take notes. Invite groups to report back.
| Happy/Glad | Mad | Sad | |
| Work | |||
| Home | |||
| Transportation | |||
| Relationships |
After groups are finished, come together as a large group and do some comparing of notes. Look for any common themes. Those may be themes on which folks could spend more time exploring ways to work together.
3. Resource
Getting Organized
Use this self-led workshop (with award-winning video) to learn an easy-to-use method for turning your groups shared feelings into positive change.
Today’s Trivia Question:
Which president gave the first “State of the Union” speech?
- George Washington
- Alexander Hamilton
- Abraham Lincoln
- John F. Kennedy
(The answer will be published in the next Memo.)
Answer to February 10th Trivia Question: False. It’s a way to block progress by talking without stopping.
Question was: True or false: A filibuster is a way in which Democrats and Republicans can work happily together.
Do you have a trivia item you’d like to submit?
Create a trivia question and we will review your question for possible use.
Your trivia question:
The correct answer:
Would you like your name to appear as the author of the trivia question? If yes, give us your name and where you are from.
Reader Responses
I think it would be great if you could put a training together to teach people the importance in finding a regular doctor and not using the emergency access at the hospital for anything except TRUE emergencies. I guess we also need to teach people what a true emergency is. At least start a conversation.
This would be a very easy way to give relief to the system. It would equal a budget cut.