Today, I’m diverting from our conversation about women’s voices.  Well actually not that much of a diversion.

Remember that in a previous post, I mentioned that one of my favorite supervisors knew how to ‘goad’ me?  He did it by pushing me until I got angry and went out and showed him a thing or two!

It’s true - anger is a motivator for me.  Whether we call it anger or righteous indignation (and there is a difference) - it can be a source of motivation that moves us from the status quo into action.

What started this ‘rant’ occurred a few days ago when I saw a church sign that said, “anger is a moment of insanity!”.  Well, I can tell you that I had a moment of insanity when I read that sign.  If that’s a fact - then some very powerful men and women of integrity have had a number of ‘insane moments’!

Was Jesus insane when his outrage over the moneychangers caused him to take a whip and drive them out of the temple?  I don’t think so!

Were the early suffragettes insane when they said enough is enough to women not having a say in who runs our government?  I don’t think so!

Were the many student dissidents throughout Europe in the early years of the last century insane to protest the oppressive regimes who took away individual personal rights?  I don’t think so!

Anger is a real human emotion.  It is not the emotion that creates insanity.  It is what we do with it that makes the difference.

Anger can and often is a motivator for positive change!  Anger with racial injustice in this nation prompted a movement that led to dramatic changes in our society, culture and government.  I’m not here to debate if it’s been enough.  I’m here to say that someone, somewhere, said “enough is enough!”  And did something about it!

Over the years, women have “had it” with a number of things that needed change.  And they have been frustrated enough or angry enough to do something about it!

When one looks at some of the greatest movements for change over the course of human history as we know it - women, women in their middle years and beyond, have been the catalyst for change.

Women like us!  Women who’ve passed their 40th birthday to discover that life goes on!  In fact, they may have discovered that there’s a richness to life that is dramatically different and radically more enjoyable than on what some might call the “sunny side of 40″!

I’m not just ‘blowin’ off steam” left in the “pot” because of a silly saying on a building whose folks should know better! 

And I’m not just ‘whistlin’ Dixie in the dark, either.  Women our ages have the wisdom, knowledge, ‘guts’ and strength to make change - positive change where we have been planted - and beyond.

There is a difference between anger and righteous indignation.  It’s too much to go into here at this moment, but for matters of simplicity - anger most often results when someone or something does something to me - personally. 

It often rises out of fear!  Just ask me how I react when a driver comes roaring up to a stop sign as if he/she isn’t going to stop.  I hate to admit this, but I yell and scream at them and have often shook my fist in their direction.  Why?

I was injured in an accident when a driver didn’t yield to a green light and came roarin’ through the intersection and nearly killed me!  And when I think it might happen again - I am terrified.  So my fear of being wiped out by another driver results in anger that behaves in a less than dignified manner!

Righteous indignation, on the other hand, is often the result of our being outraged by events that harm or damage others.  Doesn’t matter whether the harm is physical or an assault on intelligence or a piece of false information that has the potential to lead others astray from fact or truth.

I say, “thank God for angry indignation that leads to change - positive change”.

I say, “thank God for women who had the courage to say ‘enough is enough’ and rose up in an effort to make certain that change occurred.”

I say, “thank God for the someone in that church who will realize that the saying on the sign needs to be worded differently in order for the truth to be dispensed - and make the positive change!”

Wanna bet - it’ll be a woman?!

And one of our ‘vintage, too!

Have an AWESOME day!

  Linda