I lost the plot completely, unleashing a vituperative stream of incandescent profanity that took even me by surprise. I had been doing so well too. The metaphorical cat had only been kicked in silent solitude, but there are occasions when anger takes you unawares. The only person to witness this outburst did little more than laugh nervously at the incongruity of the situation… unused to seeing me behave with such ferocity and quite possibly thankful not to be its cause.

The cause not being present I took myself into the garden to breathe deeply and cool down. I dislike feeling that way.

I seldom really lose my temper with a situation. Things may be frustrating and there are things that niggle or which will make me flare briefly; but like a firework my temper is usually a quick and pretty futile flash that dissolves almost instantly into mere smoke and rueful giggles.

Anger is often billed as the most negative of emotions and when it is an unthinking, knee-jerk reaction that is usually true. It is always negative when it is a result of a thwarted desire. But it can, of course, also be a catalyst for self preservation at a very basic level; humans and animals alike will react swiftly when cornered and call up resources usually unavailable. Sometimes it is the safety valve on the emotional pressure cooker that simply has to let out steam in a relatively contained manner in order to avoid a more damaging and lethal explosion.

There are some things, however, that need the fire of emotion to galvanise people to act, rather than simply reacting. Social injustice, bullying, the use of that emotional manipulation that is tantamount to deliberate cruelty … without strong emotion would anything ever be done about them?

The question then becomes, what do you do with the anger? Do you let it seethe, eating away at you below the surface, building resentment and breeding further negativity? Blow up at anyone in the vicinity for want of a more appropriate target with unfocussed violence in word or action? Most of us are guilty of that from time to time. Or do you bring it within control and use it to focus your resources to deal with the problem in a constructive manner? That last seems to me to be the only valid option that does not lead towards further destructiveness, yet it can be the most difficult to initiate when emotion has you by the entrails.

One of the analogies we have used with the School is that of the driver and the vehicle. Even without the metaphysical or philosophical aspects of the soul in the equation it is a good illustration. We would not allow a Ferrari to drive at full throttle without our hands on the wheel, yet uncontrolled anger is just as dangerous and far less beautiful, though both may be a red beast. There is always the observer within us call it what you will, who has a choice and can take control of the wheel and steer the vehicle where it needs to go.

Even in the grip of anger I could still watch dispassionately and know that the emotion itself would accomplish nothing. Like a lump of fossil fuel it is thing from an earlier stage of evolution that no longer serves a purpose in itself; it serves only if it is put to use, transformed, and a pure flame allowed to grow from its depths to light a way forward.