Most of our addictions aren’t things we’d want others to know about.
But there is a growing addiction that’s not only gaining widespread acceptance but it’s also one we might be tempted to wear as a badge of honor.
It’s the addiction to outrage.
Not only is there always someone or something that deserves our ire but our mass media feeds that anger and social media gives us a ready outlet to express it.
What makes this particular addiction so dangerous is that it not only feels good, it makes us feel righteous.
Pete Ross explains why outrage can be so seductive when he says:
“We love being angry, because it makes us feel smart. It makes us feel like we care more than the next person (who we assure ourselves doesn’t care enough), because we’re more across the facts than they are. That we have the necessary ideas to fix everything. That we’re the ones that need to be in charge.”
The question that we need to ask when we find ourselves binging on this kind of personal arrogance is this: What is my outrage actually accomplishing?
It’s certainly not bringing us peace and happiness.
Is the inflated sense of self esteem worth the price of behaving miserably?
It’s likely that there’s a better use of our time and energy than simply raging over the latest outrage.
Breaking our addiction to outrage allows us to focus on actually becoming a better person.
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