photo credit: collegepublisher.com

Rage and desperation can be startling motivators.  It’s a theme that seems to come up occasionally, especially when it comes to military personnel in combat.  I guess when people stop caring about consequences, they can accomplish amazing things.  It can be good or bad, depending on if they get a personal vendetta against enemy forces or people who made the mistake of crossing their path.  I wonder how many times soldiers have gone off on a killing rage, earning them a Purple Heart or Medal of Honor.  I think they’re most vulnerable to this happening if they lost a loved one who was very close to them, like family members or lifelong friends.  The trauma of losing someone so near and dear to their hearts can make them snap and get tunnel vision, focusing purely on one mission: revenge.  Slashing out at enemy soldiers during combat can be admirable; slashing out at individuals or groups who have offended you can be tragic.  It’s a fine line sometimes between what is considered heroic and what is considered criminal.

photo credit: bbc.co.uk

Of course, this idea also works in other areas of life.  People have been known to accomplish great things because of their sheer anger towards something.  One such case is someone I know, who people say work so hard out of bitterness and resentment.  Whether she’s trying hard to prove something or just using work as a way to escape that which bothers her is unclear, but the dedication is hard to miss.  Those who feel they need to do something to prove they’re better or that they can accomplish something they were told they couldn’t are especially driven to show that they can.  Anger can make you run faster, climb higher, jump further.  So it seems that it’s not so much having negative feelings and motivations that are a bad thing, but rather what you choose to do with them.  Choose to punch a bag rather than a person; choose to prove them wrong rather than give up; choose to do the better thing.