‘ANGER’, ONE LETTER SHORT OF ‘DANGER’
Nigerians are angry at many things concurrently. They are angry that the INEC voter registration exercise is taking ages and ages to properly take off. Many a finger had been rejected, many a photo blurred, many a data not captured; a DnotDCd. Because we are so backward technologically, no one is even commenting that INEC […]
Nigerians are angry at many things concurrently. They are angry that the INEC voter registration exercise is taking ages and ages to properly take off. Many a finger had been rejected, many a photo blurred, many a data not captured; a DnotDCd. Because we are so backward technologically, no one is even commenting that INEC does not work on mains power (a la PHCN) to charge its DDC machines. And what a shame to a country! What angering phenomenon!
Various dictionaries and encyclopaedia describe ‘Anger’ as a physiological and psychological response to a perceived threat to self or important others. In the past, present or in the future. The threat may appear to be real or imagined. In the Nigerian situation, as we head towards April 9 so unstoppably, the threat is to self and nation; it has happened in the past; it is present; and it is extending into the future. It is not perceived, but is as apparent as the midday sun; and it is as real and as concrete as the writing on this page!
Nigerians are also angry, very angry, at the nation’s opposition parties that seem to take forever to get their acts together to unite to confront the ruling (read ‘ruining’) party. Without unity on the opposition front, it is very difficult, nay almost impossible, for the change almost all Nigerians yearn for to materialise. And as we head towards April 9, the writing on the wall that is facing us so squarely in the face is that those who made us angry in years past will continue to do so, and there is nothing we can do. Unless we stop agonising and start organising, as the comrades would put it.
Anger is a natural response to threat due to injustice, humiliation or betrayal. The expression of anger can be through active or passive behaviours. In the case of ‘active’ emotion, the angry person ‘lashes out’ verbally or physically at an intended target. When anger is a ‘passive’ emotion, it is characterised by silent hostility and tension, as we tend to have over here. Anger is usually magnified and extended in time when a cognitive decision is made about the intent of the individual (or organisation, such as our ruining party) interpreted as inflicting the pain.
When Tunisians became angry, they did not express it on the pages of newspapers (which sadly is all we seem to be able to do over here). No. And Tunisians did not bring matters to the table to discuss with their own ruining party. They took matters into their own hands. And went on to the streets. Tunisians were angry that, despite the fact that theirs is said to be a working ‘system’, it is only a successful economy according to others, devoid of commensurate social effects. In Nigeria, we are worse off with a system that doesn’t work at all.
Allah, God, created Man, and Man transgressed His and his bounds. So Man (and Woman in tow) was dismissed from the heavens. Soon after arriving on Earth, Adam and Hauwa (Eve) witnessed the first manifestations of anger from one of their own sons: an angry Qabil (Cain) murdered his brother Habil (Abel) over a matter of offerings. From then on, angry people have been dangerous. Anger to Danger!
Anger, according to some, is itself not inherently bad. When appropriate, it can motivate you to deal (deal, they say) with problems, or it can signal to others that their behaviour is not acceptable (one hope it does). And there are varying degrees of anger: annoyance, irritation, frustration, exasperation, indignation, Bouazizic; being incensed, outraged, livid, raging, furious and ferociously aggressive against a looming stolen mandate.
Egyptians are also angry. So are Algerians. They have looked on to Tunisia, a fellow African country, and have seen how an angry populace, armed with nothing but determination, has sacked a sitting tyrant. And so the Egyptians and the Algerians are not negotiating with their ruling parties. They are negotiating with teargas; they are negotiating with rubber bullets; they are negotiating with live bullets. And many Bouazizis are being offered for freedom. And freedom has never come cheap.
Anger, some say, is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems. And it can make you feel as though you are at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. (One hopes they are listening).
The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond passively or aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviours which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked, in essence, be Bouazizic. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. Repeat: A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. We must survive.
Angry people tend to demand things: fairness, willingness to do things their way. Everyone wants these things, and we are all hurt and disappointed when we don’t get them, but angry people demand them, and when their demands are not met, their disappointment becomes anger. Sometimes it is our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury. Angry people feel they are in a trap, and they can’t escape.
Remember, you can’t eliminate anger—and it wouldn’t be a good idea if you could. In spite of all your efforts, things will happen that will cause you anger; and sometimes it will be justifiable anger, like the one we have here and now in Nigeria. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss, and the unpredictable actions of others. You can’t change that; but you can change the way you let such events affect you. Controlling your angry responses can keep them from making you even unhappier in the long run.
There is a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn’t always the case. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem. And the solutions to our problems? A well-done voter registration exercise where Digital Data Capture Machines are not captured; a united opposition to face the ruining party; and a hitch-free April 9 exercise that translates into the will of the people. Otherwise, the Bouazizis may take to Eagle Square!