Introduction, Session 12: From Anger to Kindness
In "Love Will Guide Us," a Tapestry of Faith program
When my anger’s over
may the world be young again
as after rain –
the cool clean promise
and the dance
of branches glistening green — Raymond John Baughan, in Day of Promise: Collected Meditations, Kathleen Montgomery, ed. (Skinner House, 2001); used with permission
This session looks to the third Source of Unitarian Universalism, "Wisdom from the world's religions which inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life." In the story, the Buddha responds to someone's anger in an unconventional way that teaches a lesson of love. Children learn to rely on love and faith to move themselves, and thereby others, from anger to love.
Anger is a normal, healthy feeling—our body's way of alerting us to problems. Anger can give us the energy we need to right wrongs. However, at times it can be misdirected or expressed in hurtful ways. Rather than tell children they should not feel angry, we want to help them harness their anger—to use it constructively, not destructively.
In Activity 4, children create calming beads they can use to cool their anger. Alternate Activity 3, Yoga — Salutation to the Sun, offers a movement option to nurture anger self-awareness and management.
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Last updated on Thursday, October 27, 2011.
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