Rage, Anger and Prosperity

We seem to be in an epidemic of rage and anger that transcends affiliations of political, religious and philosophical orientations. There is broad-based anger that comes out from groups who state they are for inclusiveness while they are threatening, intimidating and attacking anyone who disagrees with them.

Freedom of speech has been supplanted by demands for conformity and understanding is only acknowledged if there’s agreement. The age of agreeing to disagree has been replaced with name calling, threats, and demands for peace through conformity or risk violence.

It’s been building for years and is present in entertainment, media, politics, education and many other venues.  It’s as if an infection has spread throughout our civilization. An emotional, intellectual infection that has taken over people’s lives and thoughts. Why now? Is it good or bad? What should we do? And how does this relate to prosperity?

The question of why now is tied to the convergence of the digital and technological revolution that makes it very easy to vent anonymous anger and frustration and the continued shift to a global economy and culture due to advances in transportation and reductions in the relative cost of energy.  This coupled with an expanding population is driving change at an unprecedented level.

Whether it’s good or bad is a moot point. It’s inevitable in that we are adjusting to new paradigms at an increasing rate of change and that is going to have side effects.

This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where Darwinism comes into play. Adaptability becomes a top priority when there is a change. History shows that whenever there’s change, there are those who resist perishing and those who adapt survive.

When you look at the rage and anger, in most cases it’s driven by people who, in one way or another, are resisting change and trying to block evolution. Some may appear to want change but, on closer inspection, you will see the change they want is not forward-moving change. It’s an attempt to return to a place or time when they felt like they had control and power.

The core tendency is to want to be in control and to have the power to direct your life however you want. There are two primary ways of being in power: By leading with a clear vision or by tearing others down. One is adaptive and the other is obstructive. One is creative and the other is destructive. And it’s all part of a larger balance of energy.

Which brings us back to the question of “Why now?” The answer is that there is a balance between creative and destructive energies. Creation often destroys what is, to use as a building material for what is becoming. Therefore, it’s tied in with prosperity. Prosperity is the ability to create something of value in the world with a system that returns energy to the creative process.

Understanding that rage and anger are symptoms of frustration based on the inability to adapt to new realities is a critical part of transforming into a more prosperous alignment. Rage and anger are the symptoms. Getting from the symptoms to the understanding of what’s causing the symptoms is the next step. Identify what change is related to the symptoms. Is it personal or social? Personal changes are aging, changes in health and vitality, abilities, relationships and opportunities. Social changes are societal changes such as economics, politics, environment, and culture. Changes can be both personal or social. For instance, technology changes can be personal if you feel you can’t keep up or social if you are concerned about how artificial intelligence and robotics are going to change our world.

The linkage to prosperity has been reinforced by the speed of change. We can manifest more, faster, than ever before. I was reminded of this recently reviewing my experience in high tech since 1975. Going from punch cards and coding sheets to WYSIWYG and voice recognition in only 25 years was astounding. Being in the field, seeing new products and solutions become obsolete within 6 months in the ’80s to as little as weeks today, is astounding. And more importantly, seeing how each innovation is making entire industries and jobs obsolete. Driving, cooking, manufacturing, medical procedures, professional skills (journalism, media production, legal, architecture, and engineering) and even caregiving are all being changed by automation, artificial intelligence and robotics. Where an executive used to have a secretarial pool and things would change slowly, now they are using voice recognition to produce memos and communications within seconds rather than days.

This has and will create major disruptions in careers as people are replaced with technology. But it also creates equally major opportunities. The key is to move away from the rage and anger about the changes that are happening and move into discovering what’s going to be needed for the future.

First and foremost, the opportunity to be a change facilitator is going to be a great opportunity. Teachers, managers, and psychologist will all have a major role to play. Cosmetologists, massage and polarity therapists and others in the helping professions can also facilitate people who are going through change. In fact, in many ways, they are in the best position to help people because they are already working in highly creative careers that thrive on change.  Art in its many forms also has the opportunity to support change by teaching people how to adapt. In short, the need for change facilitators or adaptive skills teachers will be extremely important for the foreseeable future.

To create value in this area starts with you becoming fascinated with the change, both the process of change but also the understanding of what’s changing and how it affects people. Being a visionary means looking into the future to discover what’s not yet clear. It’s a fascinating and thrilling endeavor. The more you do it the more you will develop the skill. At the same time study how you and others around you react to the changes. Pay close attention to what happens as you first react and later respond to the change. Notice what will be destroyed or enhanced by the change. Understand how it will affect your life if you don’t adapt as well as when you do adapt. Study the parts that are resisting adapting to the change and what you must do to change from resistance to adaptation.

We are fortunate to have excellent resources that allow us to watch thought leaders and creative people on TED Talks and TEDx as well as Shark Tank and many movies and series of people who embraced change. We also have plenty of examples (frequently referred to as “tragedies”) of what happens when people resist change or are unable to adapt.

So, if you are feeling rage or anger, it’s a great sign that you have the adequate fire to react positively to changes that are happening in your world. The challenge is to harness that energy to adapt to the changes and if you’re inclined, help others to adapt as well. When you do, prosperity will start to manifest in ways that you can’t presently imagine.

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