In her columns, our collaborator Nathalie Plaat calls on your stories. In November, she became interested in your anger and your births resulting from your rages. The “News from you” section offers an excerpt chosen from your responses.
Young worker, injustice put me in a black anger that always led me to act: a man accosted me or tried to impose himself on me, I challenged him. A thief entered my shop, stealing a painting before my eyes, I immediately ran after it and took my property back. Nothing stopped me, and I never suffered any unfortunate consequences from my defensive actions, which I would now describe as impulsive. I was proud of it.
At work, it went less well, because I had more difficulty staying zen. Being very anxious, I had difficulty putting into words diplomatically what I felt was an injustice. I exploded and then I was put in my place. How many times have I been told to mind my own business, to just do what I was told to do, without success! I had to act. This revolt in the face of administrative inaction may have prevented me from being promoted, but it allowed me to be in harmony with myself.
My greatest victory was to denounce a flagrant injustice experienced by everyone, but denounced by no one at the place where I worked. With a colleague, we filed a complaint with the institution responsible for monitoring our office. This clarification is important, because for me, acting has always involved doing so with respect for the democratic institutions in place. Although our challenge did not confirm beyond any doubt the conflict of interest at the source of the injustice, the report that emanated from it highlighted the possible existence of a problematic situation and, thus, ensures that the person responsible leaves his place on his own initiative.
Even if, today, I find it difficult to rebel so instinctively in the face of social injustice, because I see how quickly humans “draw” their weapons when this was not the case when I was a young woman, I am calm to have had this anger in me. Faced with injustice, she was always the bearer of actions that turned out to be positive. In this, I conclude that the anger assumed, understood (knowing how to recognize the origin of it on oneself) and expressed “with respect for the other” is healthy.