Each and every one of us at some point of our lives have been in a state of conflict. Thinking nothing of others, one puts top priority on personal gain or promoting his own point of view, this is the egoistic world of Anger, a state of life also characterized by the constant desire to defeat others – to always put oneself in a higher or more favourable position.
A life in the world of anger gives rise to emotions like hatred and jealousy. When a person in the world of anger encounters someone in a higher or better position than himself, jealousy and hatred arise turning to anger and a desire to attack the other person in some way.
Always inherent within human life are functions that protect the individual. Among these is the natural response of “self-defence” – to protect oneself by attacking what is perceived as a threat. In a sense, the world of anger may be viewed as the state of life triggered by this self-defence mechanism.
No one desires to be beaten by others. When the possibility of defeat arises, we naturally feel like resisting in any way possible. This natural feeling can either lead to self-improvement or to lashing out at others. When the latter happens, it can only bring about our own unhappiness, causing injury to others, or on a larger scale, even result in the tragedy of war.
According to Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, “Egoism is itself unhappiness. It causes injury to oneself and to others. Much of the tragedy and suffering that fills the world has sprung from egoism.”
Suppose that you are a baseball player and your team has just lost to a rival. You may return home with a feeling of despair, lamenting over how unfair game it was. Or you may say to yourself, “We lost because we are still weak; let’s practice harder and become better!” These two attitudes yield entirely different results. If we fail to look at ourselves and instead blame others when something happens, there will be no end to the conflict. Unless we replace this ugly state of mind with one of concern and warmth towards others, we can never rid ourselves, let alone the world of conflict.
When people replace the anger and conflict within their lives with a feeling of concern for others and a desire for peace, the ideal of world peace will become a reality. The minds of the people have to open in order for them to replace the world of anger with higher, nobler states of life.
