The Art of Anger
Art is a powerful recovery tool. It can take us out of our experience, into another story, and by that story, we understand our own better.
It’s why we won’t just suggest scholarly or informational resources. We’ll also highlight art, quotes, and the stories of others.
I’ve been thinking of the scene from Forrest Gump, when Jenny—who was horribly abused by her father—returns to her childhood home as an adult. She sees the shack where she grew up, and starts hurling stones at it, full of anger and pain.
After she collapses to the ground, sobbing, Forrest says, “I guess sometimes, there just aren’t enough rocks.”
Earlier in the film, Forrest and his friend, Lieutenant Dan, ride out a hurricane on a shrimping boat, because Lieutenant Dan is angry at God. I’d forgotten about this part when I watched the movie recently, but both the story of Lieutenant Dan and Jenny are stories of great pain, confusion, and things that should have never happened.
They both lash out at life by self-sabotage, and reach the climax of their journey in a raw expression of rage.
They both found a home in Forrest Gump, the “village idiot” who always loved them, even when he didn’t understand them.
If you grew up in a faith community, you might have received instruction that anger was bad. You might have been told to not let the sun go down while you’re still angry. You might have—like I did—stuffed the anger, instead of looking it full in the face.
My experience with anger is, it doesn’t just go away because you ignore it. In fact, I bet a lot of us experienced hurt from people who never learned how to navigate their anger, who probably were hurt by someone who never learned how to navigate their anger.
And on and on the cycle continues.
I encourage you to watch this film. Witness the role anger plays in each of these stories.
Then take some time to observe your own anger in regards to Spiritual Abuse.
Forrest Gump, 1994