I was recently reintroduced to what is entitled A Franciscan Benediction, and saw in it a wonderful illustration of the concepts of emotion management in a constructive way.
The benediction reads as follows:
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen
We are affirmed in this benediction that negative emotions are not our problem. Our emotions in fact are like sensory organs we need, which sensitize and motivate us to be aware of and respond to what the real problems around us are. We are encouraged with the belief to be able to make a difference, when those who would otherwise lord it over us and make us seem small, cultivate doubt in us to stand up for what is right.
Our emotions tell us what our problems, that is, what our “potatoes” are. The way we go about making a difference is what is called the potato management, otherwise known as emotion management or anger management. No, this does not mean we are to manage our emotions and anger, as if our emotions are the problem. It is rather to validate what we feel in the context of what the injustice is, and to seek constructive change in order to work towards making that difference in the world.
Constructive change does not mean that we consider the people affiliated with the injustices, neither victims nor perpetrators, to be the problem; rather, we seek to honour others along with ourselves, in order to maintain our relationships and to live in peace and harmony. Honouring others does not mean we accept the injustices the perpetrators are responsible for; rather, we make a stand against injustice, seeking justice and peace for all.
People are not potatoes, but people and potatoes are in relationship with one another. Potatoes represent the abstract concept of justice. If you believe that reality in our universe is only material, how do you make sense of justice? On the other hand, there are those who believe that our material reality is mere delusion. In whatever way we make sense of our universe, we are interested to understand our relationship with justice and each other in a constructive way.