Letting Anger Lead Us: Harnessing Our Feelings to Move Towards Justice

Part of Mosaic Lifespan Curriculum

Open

Anger is like a howling baby, suffering and crying. The baby needs his mother to embrace him. You are the mother for your baby, your anger. The moment you begin to practice breathing mindfully in and out, you have the energy of a mother, to cradle and embrace the baby. Just embracing your anger, just breathing in and breathing out, that is good enough. The baby will feel relief right away.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Anger

After reading opening and lighting the chalice invite the participants to take 3 deep breaths.

Invite them to each ask the class at any point to stop for deep breaths.

Tell them breaths and remember to take breaks to take deep ones are how you make your emotions your allies and not just uncomfortable things that make you feel bad.

Read

Lava In My Veins (YouTube) (12:50)

"Read" & "Do" are pair exercises. Share the "Do" prompt before starting the video and invite students to draw as they watch and listen. Take a movement break in between "Read" and "Watch."

Watch

Why Do We Get Angry? (YouTube) (5:59)

Do

How does injustice make you feel? What emotions does it give you?

Draw a picture to show this.

Now draw a picture of yourself as a superhero using an emotion as a superpower to fight injustice.

What emotion or action would you use to fight injustice and how would you use it?

Ask: When can anger be helpful? What can anger help us to understand or learn? Share about a time when you have felt angry.

Close

“You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn’t do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger. You write it. You paint it. You dance it. You march it. You vote it. You do everything about it. You talk it. Never stop talking it.” -Maya Angelou

Read the closing quote. Ask participants what they feel, Where they feel it in their body? And what they are called to do?

Then extinguish the chalice

Take Home