At the Battle of Khandaq [Trench], Amr ibn Abd Wadd, a powerful warrior of the Quraish tribe, challenges a warrior of the Muslim army. Hazrat Ali accepts the challenge and, as he overpowers Amr, ready to take his life, Amr spits on his face, at which point Hazrat Ali releases him and walks away.

Hazrat Ali later revealed that, while he was fighting for God he would have killed Amr, but he could not kill from personal rage. Rumi, relating this incident in his Masnavi, has Hazrat Ali saying: “I am not a straw, removed from its place by a wind, but a mountain of forbearance and patience and justice.” The story reflects different types of anger, some of which are acceptable and some to be rejected.

There are few studies on anger and its out-of-control relative rage, despite the fact that there appears to be a pandemic of rage brewing in the world today. The differences between anger and rage are quite stark.

Anger can be controlled and is an immediate response that seeks to solve a problem. Rage is uncontrollable, a build-up of suppressed negative emotions that explode unexpectedly into a rampage, with a very negative impact on both the person feeling rage as well as the receiver.

The expression of rage can take on many forms and can be the result of an inability to adequately address suppressed emotions

The term ‘going berserk’ comes from the Viking word berserker, a fighter without a shirt, who worked himself into such a frenzy at the sight of a foe that he would rush forward, mad like an aggressive animal. Rage, when coupled with power, has produced tyrants such as Ivan the Terrible, who ordered thousands of innocent people to be killed to appease his anger, even killing his own son in a fit of rage.

A world that has almost always been at war needs fighting forces that can kill and defeat the enemy without hesitation. Soldiers are trained to feel anger without allowing it to turn into rage, a distinction that sometimes breaks down in the mayhem of the battlefield. In Vietnam, performance enhancement drugs had the side-effect of increasing aggression that often went out of control.

Rage is also a concern in our daily lives. A child’s tantrums are shocking for parents, as they seem a disproportionate reaction. They are an inability to deal with strong emotions or disappointments because coping skills and verbal skills have not developed.

While children quickly outgrow tantrums, adults who resort to rage have a build-up of unprocessed emotions that explode under stressful conditions. ‘Road rage’ is a blanket term that describes the anger of drivers from minor irritations to excessive retaliation that can spiral out of control, as depicted in the disturbing Russel Crowe film Unhinged.

Sociologists asking the question “What makes us so angry?” identify factors such as the gap between the haves and have-nots, being overworked and underpaid, a broken political system and the marketing of unrealistic lifestyles. Uncertainty magnifies helplessness into fear and then anger.

Far too often, anger is taken out on the people closest to one, including domestic abuse. While angry men may join fight clubs, women are taught to suppress anger. Men may be admired for aggression, while women are more likely to be mocked or ridiculed.

“Outrage marketing” or “cultivated controversy” is a highly successful marketing strategy that has become an essential element of political, social and environmental campaigns.

Sometimes, rage is a theatrical ploy. Faux rage is displayed by Pakistani and Indian soldiers at the Wagah border who strut and stamp, drawing themselves up to full height with tensed muscles and angry facial expressions for the entertainment of the crowds, when on other occasions they share mithai [sweets] with each other.

In Japan, building on the success of crying rooms to release stress, rage rooms were marketed and quickly spread to other cities, including Karachi, where people can smash objects with a baseball bat, with no consequences.

While not completely replacing the ‘ghussa aur badmizaji khatam karne ka wazifa’ [prayers to cure anger and ill-tempered behaviour], rage rooms in Karachi are marketed as an opportunity to “channel your inner Hulk”, referring to the meek superhero, Bruce Banner, who turns into a raging green monster the angrier he gets.

Some rage rooms invite people to throw paint to exorcise the monster of anger. The arts have always had the capacity to express strong emotions, including rage, in a manner that releases the emotion in a poetic form. Francis Bacon’s paintings express stark rage, entrapment and despair, yet the language of art ensures balance and containment.

Durriya Kazi is a Karachi-based artist.
She may be reached at
durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 9th, 2024