Aristotle says that the man who does not get angry at the things he should be angry at "is thought unlikely to defend himself; and to endure being insulted and put up with insult to one's friends is slavish" (Aristotle 41). While he states that passivity is preferred to excessive anger, he still gives great criticism to it. In contrast to Aristotle, the man who Christians believe to be the most just is Jesus who states in Matthew 5:39-40, "...do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well." Essentially, arguing that one is not to respond in anger when insulted or hurt, to not defend one's self. Most individual's are unable to achieve this. Our natural instinct is to defend ourselves, especially in physical cases. However, Christians strive to be like Jesus in this way. I would also argue that it is a very admirable way to be in today's society. We look at peaceful protestors with more respect than we do at those who fight back against the violence they face either from the public or from law enforcement. For example, we view Martin Luther King's approach to the Civil Rights Movement in high esteem.
However, I cannot say that I entirely disagree with Aristotle in that anger needs be expressed "in the right way, at the right time, or with the right persons" (41). These qualifications are greatly important, and I wish Aristotle would have expanded on them, although following Jesus' teachings, I would have likely disagreed with some of Aristotle's descriptions for those qualifications. I aspire to "turn the other cheek" when wrong is done to myself, but when wrong is done to my friends, I aspire to defend them. Part of this stems from my beliefs. I aspire to be like Jesus although I fail in this endeavor far more than I succeed. The other part, in all honesty, is due to fear. I am a passive person because I fear making the person who has done me wrong angry or upset, which can sometimes lead to more wrong done to me. Thus, there is a constant struggle of not having wrong done to me because I choose not to defend myself due to my beliefs or due to fear(with the former being honorable and the latter not so much) or defending myself and disobeying Jesus' commands.
P.S. I commented on Hailey's and Isabelle's posts.
It doesn't surprise me that is some area Aristotle and Jesus would disagree. I was kind of expecting it. In all honesty though, anger is something that can be very hard to control. What Aristotle is saying about anger though is only human nature. We want to retaliate.
ReplyDeleteJesus' character especially challenges me when it comes to anger. I always wonder how he was able to take the insults and attacks. If my brother insults me, I really have to bite my tongue to keep myself from retaliating, and most times I say something. By the way, I mean my younger brother, not Jackson.
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