Enjoying Anger

I have known two other rationalists at the time of this writing (which is long before the scheduled posting date) who have relinquished anger because it wound up being so draining or overwhelming for them that, though it never had to be allowed to overpower their alignment with reason or compel them to mistreat anyone, they had no desire to entertain it.  Inability to conjure or silence emotion in all cases is not the same as an inability to control one's beliefs and actions regardless.  No one is automatically irrational for experiencing anger, therefore.  As rationalists, a denial of any of this would likely have been far from their minds in choosing their new disposition.

Anger can be a highly empowering thing that can only render someone irrational or abusive if they decide to let it.  There is no shortage of irrationalistic people one might encounter in life and thus plenty of fuel for the fire of anger on this level alone.  For a rational person who knows all of this, the feeling of anger can be a comforting reminder of their intellectual superiority over non-rationalists and a very personal source of emotional strength.  This is not the same as wanting there to be stupid and immoral people to be angry with, as to wish for errors on someone else's part is itself irrational and to hope for someone to be immoral to be justified in anger towards them would be immoral itself.

No matter how alluring or empowering it is to experience and perhaps even enjoy anger towards irrationality and evil, still, no person is in the wrong just for preferring to not bask in anger.  They can recognize all of these necessary truths and simply not find the genuine empowerment and pleasure that is there to be found in anger for every willing person, though only empowerment and pleasure in non-irrationalistic anger is valid.  All else is emotionalistic and/or egoistic nonsense.  While enjoying and dwelling on anger in this way might seem to many people as if it is contrary to the moral framework of Christianity, this is not at all the case.

If Christianity is true as it appears to be, anger is not immoral.  In fact, any anger that is involuntary, unable to be willed away, could not be morally erroneous anyway because no one could be guilty of a thing beyond their control.  This is the case with all anger on Christianity as long as it is not baseless (see Matthew 5:22 on anger without cause), disproportionate, or used as "justification" for sinful beliefs or actions.  Anger itself is never condemned in Mosaic Law or anywhere else (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32), and more than once it is said in the Bible that no one has to sin in their anger (Psalm 4:4, Ephesians 4:26).

Yahweh is also said to be angry at certain people and worldviews or deeds (Exodus 22:24, Leviticus 26:27-28, Psalm 30:5, 103:9, Jeremiah 30:23, and so on).  If God himself is rightfully angry, since only the uncaused cause having a moral nature would metaphysically anchor morality to begin with, it cannot possibly be evil for humans to be angry, and in the right circumstances, to love anger for the rational and righteous intentions behind it.  If something is good or even merely permissible, moreover, it cannot be evil to enjoy it.  Only emotionalistic, selfish anger or anger that drives sinful behaviors could be immoral.  Anger can be legitimately celebrated and delighted in otherwise.