546. Transforming Anger

There was a Muslim Chief of Justice in Pondicherry in the sixties who used to ask everyone whom he considered wise, "What shall I do to control anger?" He was genuine in his quest. No one had given him the answer he looked for. Nor was he in a mood to listen. He asked the question, as it was uppermost in his mind. Nowadays, even doctors recommend yoga, meaning meditation, as part of their prescription. Meditation of any description is relaxing. Relaxation relieves stress and indirectly helps cure diseases. About a thousand books, maybe a few thousand, have been published on anger.

There was a time when people were proud about being angry. They used to boast, "He never knew my anger, it is better he tastes it." This is no longer true. Many people are ashamed of it. Some apologise for their angry outbursts. Such a climate is a commercial opportunity. Until now, books have been written on anger. Now software programmes are on the foreign markets which show how angry you are. They measure your  stress, depression, etc. using graphics. The programme suggests ways of overcoming these psychological deficiencies. They are methods of deep breathing, which is physical and generation of good will, which is psychological. Such programmes have become popular with executives, managers and those who work in a situation that generates stress.

When California was coming up and Los Angeles was shaping into a premier city, electricity played a major role. It was responsible for more than 75% of the city's success.  People coined a slogan, ‘Electricity is the road to health, wealth and happiness of mankind'. At that time a German scientist wrote a book advocating the ‘all-electric state'. Lenin read the book, got the message and coined his own slogan, Soviet + electricity = Socialism. This is true of any major discovery. Today, computer and Internet assume that role. No wonder that the physical, mechanical parts of Hatha yoga or even other yogas are computerised. It is a boon to the lay public who can systematically and easily learn these methods and solve most of their daily problems. The moment the inner stress is relieved in a major measure, naturally several problems vanish. In our country, commerce is frowned upon, service is approved. It is my view that when a service  is commercially viable, the entire community benefits. Commerce or service, he who has computerised psychological processes has rendered a great service to humanity.