The Anger within

Earlier this week, we ran a campaign on stress and anger management. Most people would wonder as to why we chose to do so. The reason behind this is that, as individuals we fail to understand that anger and stress are part of our daily challenges. Managing such is a principle skill which one should possess.

As LBGTIQA+ identifying individuals, we tend to be faced with a lot of challenges such as neglect from our families, a lack of support and most importantly being shunned by the immediate society. All this may to build into anger and resentment in an individual. The psychology behind one being shunned and dismissed by their family and peers serves to build up anger inside them; in-fact it tends to test their life coping skills. As psychological studies emphasise, rejection of LGBTIQA+ individuals often starts at home, and as many as 50% of LGBTIQA+ teens experience a negative reaction from their parents when they come out.

 30% experience physical abuse and 26% are kicked out of their homes. LGBTIQA+ adults who report family rejection are 6 times more likely to be depressed and 3 times more likely to use illegal drugs and 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide than non-rejected young adults(Friedman, Clinical Psychologist). The attempt to commit suicide or use drugs in psychology is usually associated with negative stress and negative anger management. Anger as a result of the discrimination portrayed towards LGBTIQA+ identifying individuals continues to vary and this may include mere derogatory commentary, bad jokes and at times continues into violence.

The Society

The suffering of LGBTIQA+ goes un-noticed in our dear Eswatini as more and more individuals continue to be evicted from their homes and communities. The anger building up within these individuals is un-imaginable.  As a society we tend to neglect the consequences of our actions towards others. We never realise the harm we have done until it actually emanates in the form of violence or increased statistics of drug abuse. Even then, we try to find plausible explanations like; bad friends, or juvenile delinquency etc .We fail to acknowledge that the hate dispelled onto LGBTIQA+ individuals at a very young and tender age was the main causation. The drug and alcohol abuse, suicide attempts are merely just symptoms of an underlying issue. This issue being, ‘anger’ which has been building up for years.

Change

Change in how we treat each other as a society is quite crucial and necessary. A famous quote by marcandagel emphasises that; ‘if you have the power to make someone happy today, do it. The world needs more of that’. The world indeed requires more of love and less hate. No country or society has ever grown or thrived through hate; instead our mere existence as mankind is based on love. Love in all its forms can never lead to stress and anger; hate is the recipe for such. Love should be at the helm of all that we think, do and say. As alluded by Adulyadej, a good person can make another person good; it means that goodness will elicit goodness in the society; other persons will also be good.