Brian Johnson reflects on the emotion of righteous anger and how deeply held values and supportive social movements ‘command our love.’ Using Fred Rogers’ Congressional testimony (a linked 6-minute-50-second clip) and Gandhi’s practice of satyagraha as examples, Johnson argues that when important values are endangered, enragement can be a healthy catalyst—if it is channeled into ‘pure love’ and nonviolent action. The piece ends by prompting listeners to identify values they care about and to stand up for them.
You're listening to Optimize with Brian Johnson. More wisdom in less time.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. In our last plus one we talked about being the change we want to see in the world. I asked, what change do you want to see? Well, what is it? And are you being it? Which makes me think of another 20th century icon, Mr. Fred Rogers. In his great little book, the world According to Mr. Rogers, we get to immerse ourselves in a collection of wisdom gems from the great man, including this one. I quote, the values we care about the deepest and the movements within society that support those values command our love. When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged. And what a healthy thing that is. Without it, we would never stand up and speak out for what we believe. Mr. Rogers enraged? Yeah. You want to see his fierce courage in action? Watch this 6 minute 50 second video of him testifying before Congress. We've got it linked in the plus one. And note, please make sure you notice how he channeled that rage into pure love. Notice how pure love broke through the armor of a hitherto harsh foe. And I'll be surprised if you like the senator in that hearing. Don't get goosebumps and or tears feeling the soul force of Fred Rogers standing up and speaking out for for what he believed in and dedicated his life to. What's fascinating for me is how similar Fred's approach is to Gandhi's. As we discussed, one of the primary themes of that book is Gandhi's evolution and transformation in which he learned to alchemize his anger into an unstoppable soul force. He did this via what he called Satyagraha. Satyagraha is a word he coined combining two Sanskrit words. It basically means holding onto truth and is the foundation of his and Martin Luther King's non violent resistance to evil. So what values do you care about the deepest? What movements within society support those values and command your love? Are those values endangered? If so, let's become enraged and celebrate the power of that emotion as we alchemize that fierce love into noble action. Standing up and speaking out for what we believe.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Optimize with Brian Johnson. To find out more, go to Optimize Me.
